author
Charles C. (Charles Carroll) Bombaugh
1828–1906
A doctor, Civil War surgeon, and lively compiler of literary oddities, he brought a playful curiosity to everything from language slips to the history of kissing. His books mix scholarship with humor, turning small corners of culture into surprisingly entertaining reading.
1 Audiobook
The literature of kissing : gleaned from history, poetry, fiction, and anecdote
by Charles C. (Charles Carroll) Bombaugh
About the author
Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Charles Carroll Bombaugh studied with Harvard’s class of 1850 and earned his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1853. During the Civil War, he served as a surgeon with the 69th Pennsylvania, but resigned in 1862 because of poor health.
Bombaugh went on to build a varied career as a medical man, editor, and author. Sources describe him as a surgeon, editor, and later a medical examiner for life insurance companies, and he was also long associated with The Baltimore Underwriter. He died in 1906.
He is best remembered today for his fondness for unusual and entertaining subjects. His books include Gleanings from the Harvest-Fields of Literature, The Literature of Kissing, Oddities and Curiosities of Words and Literature, and Facts and Fancies for the Curious—works that show his taste for wit, anecdote, and the strange byways of literature.