An edition of Aristotle's "Compleat Master-Piece" which was banned in the 18th century will now auctioned for sale at Edinburgh auction house Lyon and Turnbull.
Aristotle's "Compleat Master-Piece" was all about sex, pregnancy and how to conceive. The manual was released in 1680 but was banned in the mid 18th century. In the 1960s, however, the ban was lifted.
Now a 1760s printed edition of the book will be auctioned for sale at the Edinburgh auction house Lyon and Turnbull. The manual is expected to be worth up to $645.
"It was very popular. It was probably the most printed text of its kind and it went through a lot of editions. It's fascinating reading. It tells an amazing story about the changing perspectives on sex," the Guardian quoted Cathy Marsden, a book specialist at the auctioneers saying.
The manual was like a guide for newly married couples and warned married couples of the consequences of extramarital affairs.
"There's nothing in it that would really be considered dirty in our society now. It's funny more than anything," Marsden said. "There are various things which warn parents about what could happen to their children if they sinned whilst conceiving them, perhaps by having sex outside marriage. It would say that your baby would be born all hairy or it would suggest that conjoined twins were the result of the parents' sins.
"There are also interesting bits about the 17th century notion that it was considered beneficial for a woman to enjoy sexual intercourse in order to conceive. It suggests that both men and women should enjoy sex.
"That's interesting because much later on, when they realised that a woman didn't have to climax in order to conceive, the idea of a woman enjoying sex was considered far less important."
Though the book is attributed to Aristotle, experts confirm that the book contains very little of his work and not much is known about the actual author of the book.
Marsden said: "We don't really know why it was attributed to Aristotle but one possibility is that they were just trying to make it sound better or more worthy than it might have been."