From: benlizro@ihug.co.nz   
      
   As Crystal says, it is very rare that we can give the exact date of a   
   word's first use. This one was made up by American humorist Gellett   
   Burgess (1866-1951). He announced it at a dinner of the American   
   Booksellers' Association in New York on that date, and distributed   
   copies of a book of his published the previous year, with a spoof cover   
   featuring the word and an example of it. Next day the NY Times reported   
   on the dinner (and the word), which Crystal says was "the word's first   
   public usage". The dinner was presumably by-invitation-only. But   
   depending on what they said, there may be issues of use vs. mention   
   here. Perhaps this is why OED has no citation earlier than 1914 (a   
   collection of Burgess's writings, where he does both.)   
      
   OED's definition: "A brief descriptive paragraph or note of the contents   
   or character of a book, printed as a commendatory advertisement, on the   
   jacket or wrapper of a newly published book."   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)