“The word ‘blurb’ was coined in 1907 by the comic writer Gelett Burgess but they have been around a long time. … One of the first major carnivals of blurbery came in 1516, when, ahead of the publication of his satire Utopia, Thomas More wrote to his friend Erasmus, urging him to make sure the book ‘be handsomely set off with the highest of recommendations, if possible, from several people, both intellectuals and distinguished statesmen.’ More’s shameless grasping is all too recognisable: then, as now, public knowledge of private connections was seen as an essential part of book promotion.” – Prospect