In this talk I use the inscriptions in the Penn copy of the 1684 edition of Aristotle’s Masterpiece to explore the material contexts of the book’s uses. While it was intended for married women — and used by them — the Masterpiece quickly became popular with young unmarried people as well. I revisit the well-known “Bad Books” incident in colonial Massachusetts to argue that the text was also used for harassment purposes by men who had little chance of marriage. Part of the book’s enduring popularity was the way it could be used in such different ways by its readers.