An ancient 'sex manual' dating back to 1720 has sold for a whopping £3,000, smashing its original estimate of up to £120 when it went under the hammer at an Etwall auction.
The book which was found by Hansons Auctioneers of Etwall, is entitled 'Aristotle's Masterpiece Completed In Two Parts, The First Containing the Secrets of Generation'. It coming up at auction sparked worldwide interest and more than 20 advanced bids before it went under the hammer on Tuesday, March 27.
But despite bids coming in online from all over the world, it was a British private buyer who secured the historical volume for £3,100 – 30 times its original estimate of £80 to £120.
Jim Spencer, head of the books and manuscripts department at Hansons, said: "It may seem like an astonishing amount but this small book captivated the world. It is a fascinating find and I know the buyer will treasure it."
The buyer, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I'm so delighted. I've had a great day at Hansons. I wanted to buy this book because it's about pre-modern medicine and it's European.
"It's about herbalism and the natural world mixed with medicine. It's also a piece of art featuring wood-cut illustrations.
"It deals with having babies and mixes folklore in with the text, which never happens today; if you don't have live babies your tribe dies out. It's about living the best way you can in the natural world.
"It will go in my safe at home and it will stay in Britain, but I'll be very happy to loan it to universities, libraries, academics or anyone who is interested in seeing it."
Mr Spencer was inundated with emails and phone calls from all over the world after news of the sale of the book went global.
Hansons Auctioneers
He said: "It's been crazy. The impact of this book has been phenomenal and the atmosphere during the sale was very intense.
"Our story about the book appeared in newspapers and on websites across the world including Spain, Mexico, Australia and America.
WWe had stories in the New York Post and Germany’s Bild newspaper and the book was mentioned on national TV and radio. I even saw a tweet about it from Bill Oddie of the Goodies.
"At one point, I was receiving emails every few minutes from people interested in buying it, including sex therapists.
"People contacted me from all over the world including Russia, Israel, America, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Germany and, of course, Britain."
The book is laced with elements of religion, claims of monstrous births due to 'women lying with beast's' witchcraft, old wives' tales and astrology.
The book was sold on March 27 at a Library Auction at Hansons Auctioneers, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire. To find out more, email service@hansonsauctioneers.co.uk or call 01283 733988.
