'The Bridal Bed - The First Collection of Marriage-Bed Customs Through the Ages from Courtship to Consummation' was first published in the UK by Robert Hale in hardback in 1960 and then by Corgi in paperback in 1962 (GC 1214) with numerous 1960's reprints. In a straightforward way, but without neglecting the humorous aspects of this erotic subject, the author deals with various customs of marriage in the past and present, from all over the world, using his title as a pivotal and central symbol. He discusses the trials and pleasures of choosing a mate in different cultures and in various stages of civilization; the habits of courtship through the ages; the forms of wedding ceremony and its preparation; the erotic and sexual practices involved in the consummation of marriage; and the stages of human relationship in marriage -- from the tyrannical to the practical to the romantic. Some of the customs Braddock describes are in the realm of the depraved, others have great charm, and some simply seem foolish. However, regardless of the author's attitude toward the phenomena he is describing he is continuously interesting and the book is written with considerable wit supported by a substantial amount of research. H E Bates called it "...a work of scholarship..." and "...amusing and stimulating...".