"From the Mona Lisa to the Cheshire Cat, the various meanings of the human smile have changed over time and around the world. In this eclectic and erudite history, Angus Trumble challenges our most deeply held assumptions about smiling and considers the many implications of an often impulsive act - the leer, the snarl, the smirk, the lewd grin. Elegantly illustrating his points with emblematic works of art from nineteenth-century European paintings to modern-day toothpaste advertisements, Trumble explores the nuances of smiling in a variety of cultures and compares them to the dentally flawless, widening smile of our own times."--BOOK JACKET.