Quirk Books, 2006, $14.95

While there’s certainly nothing trivial about the act of kissing itself, everything about this little volume is trivial—it’s length, it’s content, it’s scope ... which isn’t really a problem when you consider the book’s self-effacing subtitle. What Dwyer is trying to achieve is a fun, if cursory, look at the history of kissing from Classical times all the way up to Monica Lewinsky kissing Bill Clinton (no, not that kiss). He does an admirable job of achieving that end, too, and, thankfully, without including a single how-to on lip-locking.

In fact, Kiss & Tell answered most of my burning questions about kissing. Like why is kissing sometimes called “necking”? It turns out that the term comes from the Roaring Twenties. In what is probably his most lucid observation, Dwyer simply writes, “That’s what happens when everyone’s hopped up on reefer and gin.” Tongue-in-cheek stories of prudish Puritans and monkey love are interspersed with bizarre kissing laws from around the U.S., and no entry lasts more than two pages.

Kiss & Tell is an amusing diversion, but at 127 lightly written pages (with pictures, I might add) the diversion doesn’t last long. My advice: save yourself the $15, get a pizza at Romeo & Juliet’s, pick up a bottle of Yellow Tail and rent a quirky romantic classic, like Benny & Joon. You’ll score more points with your significant other, and save yourself from idly bringing up the kissing habits of Alexander the Great. (Rest assured, all you cash-strapped trivia lovers, “Jeopardy’s” already secured a reference copy, and Alex Trebeck is perusing it this minute for French phrases that he can pronounce in his holier-than-thou, asshole-ish tone of voice.)