A Treatise Concerning the Use and Abuse of the Marriage Bed: Shewing: I. The Nature of Matrimony... II. The gross Abuse of Matrimonial Chastity... III. The Diabolical Practice of attempting to prevent Child-bearing by Physical Preparations... IV. The fatal Consequences of clandestine or forced Marriages... V. Of un

London: printed for T. Warner,, 1727. First edition, with a facsimile title page. The fullest expression of Defoe's thoughts on marriage, the treatise argues against abortion and contraception. The book was first published as Conjugal Lewdness; contemporary critics attacked the original title, and the book was reissued with a cancel title page bearing a new, more polite, title: A Treatise Concerning the Use and Abuse of the Marriage Bed. The facsimile title page bound in this copy is photocopied from the second issue. Although Conjugal Lewdness was published anonymously, there is no debate as to Defoe's authorship of it. It was one of a series of practical divinity or domestic conduct books in which he employed innovative and recognisably novelistic techniques. "Although the dialogue form had been used in conduct books before, Defoe's was highly original in its leisurely creation of characters, relationships, and stories. Most conduct books were composed of brief essays, summary 'morals', and lists of maxims; Defoe's relatively long, developed narratives with commentary broke new ground... Defoe also broke new ground in directing his conduct book to mature readers rather than to the usual audience, those on the brink of adulthood... Conjugal Lewdness explains the purposes of marriage and condemns such things as intercourse during pregnancy" (ODNB). Octavo (193 x 112). Recent dark brown morocco, spine with raised bands, gilt lettering in compartments, brown cloth sides, edges sprinkled red. Collation: A4 B-Cc4 Dd4 (-Dd4), title page supplied in facsimile, lacking leaf G7 (pp. 93-4). A few initial and final leaves slightly soiled, paper repair to upper corner of leaf A2, lower corner of leaf T2 torn with loss of a couple of letters, intermittent and mainly marginal faint damp stains and foxing, blue pen marks on three leaves, tiny worm holes to outer margin of a couple of gatherings. For the first issue, see: Furbank and Owens 235; Moore 489; Rothschild 781; Sterling Library I, 225; Wellcome II, 441.