£950.00
Author: An English Physician
Publisher: London, Thomas Boys, 1825
First edition. Early ink ownership signatures.
Large 12mo., attractive copy in original very faded brown cloth, rebacked with original spine laid down, original rather rubbed and worn printed paper spine label, Pp. [2], xii, 418. Just a little occasional light browning otherwise a very good copy.
A clearly written, comprehensive book of 1,068 French recipes with titles in French and English. The author, obviously under the influence of Audot who published his work La Cusinière de la campagne et de la Ville, ou la Nouvelle Cuisine Economique in 1818, wrote this to bring ordinary French cooking to the ordinary tables of England, as a more achievable answer to discovering the cuisine of France than offered in Ude's opulent French Cook. He wanted to convert John Bull away from “the ponderous solidity” of British food to the huge variety of dishes offered by French cooks. He stresses the need to have good stock and herbs always on hand and without fuss or fear describes every different kind of cooking method necessary.
Simon BG 713; Bitting p.553; Oxford p.157. Not in Vicaire, Cagle