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Cupid's Cyclopedia

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First published: 1910
Pages: 62

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Author's Note
1:31
Letters A - Z
44:47
Amoria
19:38

Cupid's Cyclopedia (1910) is a public domain work.

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About this book

Compiled, so its title page claims, for Daniel Cupid himself, Cupid's Cyclopedia (1910) pairs the humorist Oliver Herford with illustrator John Cecil Clay (1875-1930), a West Virginia born artist whose drawings of pretty young women ran in Life, The Century Magazine, and Good Housekeeping. Charles Scribner's Sons published the little volume, which poses as a reference work and runs through the alphabet of courtship with mock dictionary definitions. Clay's paintings, which often blended women's faces into flowers, gave the joke its visual charm and made first editions popular Valentine gifts. The pairing proved successful enough to produce a sequel the following year. The book survives as a snapshot of Edwardian American humor about romance. Free PDF download available on BDeBooks.

History

About the author

John Cecil Clay

John Cecil Clay brought humorous American illustration to books, magazines, theatrical material, and postcards during the early twentieth century. He collaborated repeatedly with poet and artist Oliver Herford. The Scribner firm released Cupid’s Cyclopedia during 1910, pairing their comic definitions with illustrations about courtship and marriage.