BUNDLING; Its Origin, Progress Decline in America By Henry Reed Stiles, M.D. Albany: Knickerbocker Publishing Company, 1871. First edition. Original publisher's brown cloth with gilt spine and cover titles. Spine titles tarnished, shelf edges show very minor rubbing, else a near fine, clean copy. Thin octavo. 138 pages; appendix and index. In colonial America bundling was condemned by Jonathan Edwards and other preachers. The practice of bundling continued in the early United States, where in the case of a scarcity of beds, travelers were occasionally permitted to bundle with locals. This seemingly strange practice allowed extra money to be made by renting out half a bed. Hotels rented rooms for the night, shared by many occupants, and sharing a bed entailed an additional fee. Also: Bundling was an important part of American courting life, enjoyed by all good country maids and men and blessed by honest folk. During the nineteenth century, many elders clothed bundling in a licentious mantle, and a dark veil was drawn over the subject. Henry Reed Stiles, no believer in the theory that objectionable portions of history should be kept in the shadows, here defrocks these misconceptions and sheds light on this lost American custom and its origins. This book was banned in Boston in 1872. FREE SHIPPING TO THE USA PLEASE VIEW OUR STORE FOR MORE GREAT FIRST EDITION BOOKS THANKS!