If "Burgess Unabridged," I say,
"Fulfils a long-felt want,"
Don't mind my praise, nor yet the way
In which I voice my vaunt.
Don't let my adjectives astute
Your peace of mind disturb;
It's "bold," it's "clever," and it's "cute,"
And so is this my blurb!
Gelett Burgess, 1914.
Burgess notes that the blurb started with circus advertisements, before moving on to book jackets (He was writing before the age of movie studio publicity machines).