A Compendium of Kisses. By Lana Citron. Beautiful Books; 183 pages; £9.99. Buy from Amazon.co.uk

“LORD, I wonder what fool it was that first invented kissing?” That may be Jonathan Swift's opinion, but Lana Citron has a more impassioned view. Philematology, the study of kissing, is the subject of her new book. An actress, stand-up comic and author of five novels, she is also devoted, she says, “to the spread of kisses”.

This is no self-help guide or teenage fantasy, but a confident and knowledgeable offering filled with bite-sized facts and anecdotes, and adorned with quotes from literary greats. Ms Citron explores the etymology of the word “kiss”, the anatomy of kissing, kissing throughout history, across cultures and in literature and art. In short, it's a seductive Schott's “Miscellany”.

To kiss is common in the Western world but not so in other cultures. The Tsonga people of southern Africa find it repulsive, “They eat each other's saliva and dirt!” Malay tribes and Inuits prefer to rub noses rather than join lips in an “olfactory kiss”. In Indonesia, kissing in public can invite a ten-year jail sentence. Ms Citron draws on familiar figures and events through the ages, and she is not afraid to strip away the sensuality. She cites scientific references reducing kissing to a movement of muscles, and talks of halitosis and gum disease which made the whole business less attractive in previous centuries. She covers biblical kissing, the French ban on la bise during the recent swine-flu scare, and much in between, such as Samuel Pepys's wife discovering his illicit kiss with a maidservant, an account he perhaps should not have included in his diary.

The most delightful section, however, is “Cultural Kisses”. Here Ms Citron has collected the efforts of poets, playwrights, artists and film-makers, from Marlowe to Madonna, who have immortalised the kiss. Pictures of the artworks described would enhance this section but Ms Citron's animated prose helps readers to visualise Alfred Eisenstaedt's cheeky Times Square kiss or Rodin's sexual sculpture.

Published to coincide with St Valentine's Day, this essential compendium is an intellectual and indulgent treat—one to leave on the cistern or beside the bed. Every dip will prompt a smile, a shock or perhaps even a thrill.