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Willis. Michael - Extremely scarce first edition.
COOKERY MADE EASY;
BEING A COMPLETE SYSTEM OF DOMESTIC MANAGEMENT, UNITING Elegance with Economy. TO WHICH IS ADED, INSTRUCTIONS FOR TRUSSING AND CARVING, WITH SEVERAL DESCRIPTIVE PLATES; MOTHOD OF CURING AND DRYING HAAMS AND TONGUES; MUSHROOMS AND WALNUT KETCHUPS, QUIN’S SAUCE, VINEGARS, &c. &c. With other necessary Information FOR SMALL FAMILIES, HOUSEKEEPERS, &c. THE WHOLE Being the Result of actual Experience. By MICHAEL WILLIS, MANY YEARS COOK AT THE THATCHED-HOUSE TAVERN. LONDON: PRINTED BY W. LEWIS, 21, FINCH LANE; FOR JOHN BUMPUS, HOLBURN BARS; AND BE HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS. 1824
FIRST EDITION. 164 X 100mm. 1fep. [1] Unusual Frontispiece of two meat suppliers. Title page. [1] (1)iv-vi Preface. (1)viii-xvi Contents. 5p Plates of Trussing and Carving. (1)2-205. 206-213 Bills of Fare. p214-216 Marketing Tables. 2feps. Frontis evenly foxed. Some age browning and light sporadic foxing throughout. Original slightly faded grey cloth covers with a dark leather and gilt label on spine.
- At Willis's place of employment during the London season on Sunday evenings, the Thatched House Tavern on St. James St. hosted the dinners of the Dilettanti Society. Portraits of the members, many of them painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds, adorned the walls of a room devoted exclusively to their use. The society met originally at Parsloe's in St. James's St., but moved to the Thatched House Tavern in 1799. Many other art societies and associations, as well as the Royal Navy club used the large and elegant rooms of the Tavern. St. James Street dates to 1670 and runs northward from St James Palace. The poets Waller and Pope lived there, Wren till he died in 1723, Gibbon the historian till 1794 and Lord Byron lodged at #8, in 1811. The tavern was also the favourite haunt of Swift. At the south-west end of the street next to the Palace was the St James Coffee Hse, but taken down in 1806. From early times the street found favour with the London literary scene, which in turn was favourable to the growth of well appointed taverns and clubs. The Thatched House was pulled down in 1863. It was nearly the last remaining relic of old St James St. On part of its site the Civil Service club was erected. Michael Willis the cook and author, appears to be a very confident man, especially about his book. In the last lines of the preface he proclaims: “The object of the writer has been to furnish a valuable and useful book at a low price; and the approbation of the public is his highest ambition. It contains twice as much as any similar works hitherto published at Four Pounds the Price! and he has no hesitation in asserting, that it is surpassed by none, either in quantity, quality, or variety”. It is a interesting book with some nice detail in the recipes, as expected of a professional cook. Also interesting as a culinary record of a famous and high class Tavern. The book has been produced in a modern facsimile, so it has had a modern impact that could never have been foreseen nor dreamed of by Willis two centuries ago.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11207

Woodward. S.P. - A uttelry fascinating book in fine original condition.
A MANUAL OF THE MOLLUSCA
BEING A TREATISE OF RECENT AND FOSSIL SHELLS By S.P. WOODWARD, A.L.S., F.G.S. LATE ASSISTANT PALAEONTOLOGIST IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM WITH AN APPENDIX OF RECENT AND FOSSIL CONCHOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES By RALPH TATE, A.L.S., F.G.S. Illustrated by A.N. WATERHOUSE AND JOSEPH WILSON LOWRY Reprint of Fourth Edition (1880). (A printer’s device of a fire torch with words “Capio Lumen). LONDON CROSBY LOCKWOOD AND SON 7, STATIONERS’ HALL COURT, LUDGATE HILL 1890.
Thick 8vo. 178x132mm. 1fep. Half Title. [2] Frontispiece of the Pearly Nautilus. Title Page. [1] (1)vi-viii. (1)x-xvi Contents. (1)2-507. (1)509-518. 1p Index to Figures. 1p Explanation of Plates. 23 Engraved plates of Molusces with all versos blank. [1] 521-542 Explanation of the Plates. (1)Title page - Appendix to the Manual [1] 3-81. [1] 83-85(1) Index to Appendix. (1)2-48 Crosby Lockwood & Son’s Catalogue. (1)2-16 Weales Catalogue. 1fep. Bottle green cloth binding with fine bright gilt tooling on the spine and front board. There is a 50x20mm water stain on the back cover. Besides that, inside and outside in very good condition – as new.
- Samuel Pickworth Woodward was born in Norwich on 17 September, 1821. He died at Herne Bay, Kent on 11 July 1865. The son of Samuel Woodward he followed in his well-known father's footsteps and also became a famous geologist. S. P. Woodward was sub-curator of the Geological Society of London from 1839–45, then became in 1845 professor of geology and natural history at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. In 1848 to 1865 he was appointed assistant in the department of geology and mineralogy at the British Museum. ‘A Manual of Mollusca’, was originally published in three parts - 1851, 1853 and 1856. It is also considered a classic text. It is a very interesting book for such a scholarly work. Did you know that besides a systemic heart Cuttlefish have another 2 bronchial hearts? Once you start reading the myriad features of these shellfish one is completely struck by the fact that they are formed even stranger than they look. It also has a very interesting 270 in-text illustrations with many of the woodcuts being executed by Miss A.N. Waterhouse from original drawings by the author. The twenty-three pages of engravings by Mr Wilson Lowry are amazing in their variety and quantity. There are also 27 additional illustrations in the appendix. A large folding map is bound in to distinguish the sea provinces of all the various concentrations of mollusca. Very rare in this fine original condition.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11177

Woolley. Hannah
The Accomplish'd LADIES DELIGHT
IN Preserving, Physick, Beautifying, and Cookery. CONTAINING 1. The ART of PRESERVING, and CANDYING Fruits and Flowers, and the making of all sorts of Conserves, Syrups, and Jellies. 11. The PHYSICAL CABINET, Or Excellent Receipts in Physick and Chirurgery, Together with some Rare Beautifying Waters, to adorn and add loveliness to the Face and Body: And also some New and Excellent Secrets and Experiments in the ART of ANGLING. 111. The Compleat COOKS GUIDE, Or, directions for dressing all sorts of Flesh, Fowl and Fish, both in the English and French Mode, with all Sauces and Sallets; and the making Pyes, Pasties, Tarts, and Custards, with the Forms and Shapes of many of them. The Fifth Edition Enlarged. LONDON, Printed for Benjamin Harris, at the Stationers Arms and Anchor, in the Piazza, at the Royal Exchange in Cornhill, 1685.
12mo. 2 modern fep [1]. Engraved frontispiece of the author and engraved Title-page of four household scenes. [1] 2nd Title page. 2 pages of Epistle Directory signed T.P. PART 1- The Art of Preserving 1-65. PART 2- Excellent Receipts in Physick and Chirurgery 66-105 with Frontispiece illustration of couple fishing (page 106). The Art of Angling. 107-126 with 1p illustration of fish, pages 115 & [1]. PART 3- The Complete Cooks Guide 127-196 with 2 pages of illustrations of Pye shapes. p197 - 199 Terms of Carving. p200 - 204 Bills of Fare. (1) To the Reader, signed BH. p206 - 208 A Great Feast, 12p of 'The Table'. 2 modern fep. Half tan calf with marbled boards and tan calf corners, Spine with gilt lines and 2 red labels with gilt lettering . The frontis, engraved title page and 2nd title page and 4 pages internally with expert repairs to the page edges. A very good copy with minimal aging.
- There are doubts as to whether this really is the work of Hannah Wolley. [See PPC #9 pp.66. Uta Schumacher-Voelker casts serious doubt on the authorship of this book and furthermore, presents some compelling points of research, that at least highlight the ambiguity, but unfortunately do not prove conclusively the case, for or against]. From the library of Edward Gordon Craig we also learn that it is probably an unauthorised work based on Woolley's text. Certainly the ambiguous fact of two different initials in the same book, of one T.P. at the end of the Epistle Directory and the initials of B.H. on the un-numbered page next to p204 further hightens the confusion. It has been listed here under Wolley, as that is the name on one of the labels. If an answer is ever found and whatever it may be, it is none the less a rare book.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10924

Woolley. Hannah
The Queen-like Closet
OR RICH CABINET Stored with all manner of RARE RECEIPTS FOR Preserving, Candying and Cookery. Very Pleasant and Benicial to all Ingenious Persons of the FEMALE SEX. To which is added, A SUPPLEMENT, PRESENTED To all Ingenious LADIES, and GENTLEMEN. By Hannah Wolley. The Third EDITION. LONDON, Printed for Richard Lowndes at the White Lion in Duck-Lane, near West-Smithfield, 1675. -- TITLE PAGE to the SUPPLEMENT: A SUPPLEMENT TO THE QUEEN-LIKE CLOSET; OR A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING. PRESENTED To all Ingenious Ladies, and Gentlemen. By HANNAH WOOLLEY. LONDON, Printed by T.R. for Richard Lowndes, and to be Sold at the Sign of the White Lion in Duck-Lane, 1674.
12mo. 1pp. - Licensed, Nov 16, 1669. Roger L' Estrange. Frontispiece of five Kitchen Scenes. Title page. [6] 1-344. 22pp. Contents of 1st and 2nd parts. 2pp.-postscript. 2pp.-Advertisements. THE SECOND PART: Pp. Title page. [8] 4pp.-The Table. 2pp.-Advertisement. 1-100. Original dark brown calf boards with gilt border and nice patina. Sympathetically re-laid spine with gilt lines and title in gilt. A very good clean copy with minimal aging. A light stain to the edge of pages 95-122. A rare item.
- Curiously the author's name is spelt with one 'O' in the title page and two 'O's in the supplement. Hannah Woolley was a prolific writer and the list of four books attributed to her are: 'The Ladies Directory' - 1st edition 1661. 'The Cooks Guide' - 1st edition 1664. 'The Queen-like Closet' - 1st edition 1670, with at least two editions of a German translation published as 'Frauenzimmers Zeitvertreib'. 'The Ladies Delight or Rich Closet' - 1672 (essentially the first two of the books in this list, put together). The supplement to this book 'The Queen-like Closet' was Woolley's last published work. An unauthorised compilation of her texts was published in 1673, called 'The Gentlewomans Companion'. Similar unauthorized works based on her texts followed -'The Accomplished Ladies Delight' 1675, and in 1677 - 'The Compleat Servant-Maid'. Like her authentic works, these were reprinted frequently. All copies, whether legitimate or not are quite rare.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10926

Woolley. Hannah - two incomplete copies, together making one whole.
The Gentlewomans Companion,
OR, A GUIDE TO THE Female Sex: CONTAINING Directions of Behaviour, in all Places, Companies, Relations and Conditions, form their Child-hood down to Old Age: VIZ. As, Children to Parents. Scholars to Governours. Single to Servants. Virgins to Suitors. Married to Husbands. Huswifes to the House. Mistress to Servants. Mothers to Children. Widows to the World. Prudent to all. With LETTERS & DISCOURSES upon all Occasions. Whereunto is added, A Guide fotr Cook-maids, Dairy-maids, chamber-maids, and all others that go to Service. The whole beingan exact Rule for the Female Sex in General. By HANNAH WOOLLEY. LONDON, Printed by A.Maxwell for Edward Thomas, at the Adam and Eve in Little-Brittan, 1675.
1ST BOOK: 16mo. 1 loose fep with manuscript signature. Title Page in red and black text with a double lined border. [1] 7p Epistle Directory. [1] 9p A Table. [1] 1-262. 5p Advertisements. [1] Only the back cardboard cover present but exposed. Original full dark calf binding, completely dis-bound. A 1" tear and crack on the spine. (Missing -- Frontispiece, I, I8, K8, L, R-R8. P159-160 has 2" tear on outer edge with some text loss. First 4p of the rear Advertisements). The text block is quite clean with minimal age browning and some minor tears without loss. A nice clean copy. 2ND BOOK: 16mo. 2fep. [1] Engraved Frontispiece cropped and laid down. Title page in red and black text, cropped to inside line of the 2 line border and laid down. [1] 5p Epistle Directory. [1] 9p A Table. [1] 1-262. 8p Advertisements. 2feps. (Missing - pA4 of Epistle Directory and the last page of the rear advertisements). Half dark calf with marbled boards with a sunned spine and gilt lettering. Text block age browned with the top of the pages cropped without loss. Both copies housed in a modern half mid-tan calf clam-shell box with mid-brown cloth boards. Lined with black felt cloth. The spine with raised bands and gilt lines. With two labels of red and green morocco with gilt lettering. Unusually Woolley's name spelled differently here from the 'Wolley' in her other book - 'The Queen-like Closet'.
- Woolley, (born 1623 - died circa 1675) was a writer who published early books on household management and was probably the first to earn their living doing this. Her mother and elder sisters were all skilled in ‘Physick and Chirurgery’ and she learned from them . Nothing is known of her father. From 1639 to 1646 Woolley worked as a servant for an unnamed woman, almost certainly Anne, Lady Maynard (died,1647), during which time she learned about medical remedies and recipes. She married Jerome Woolley, a schoolmaster, in 1646 and with him, ran a free grammar school at Newport, in Essex. This is very near the Maynard family's house at Little Easton. In the school she put into practice her skills at ‘physick’. A few years later, the Woolleys opened a school in Hackney, London. She had at least four sons and two daughters, and the marriage was remembered by Hannah as a happy one. Hannah was widowed in 1661 and from that year on began publishing books on household management. She covered such topics as: recipes, notes on domestic management, embroidery instruction, the etiquette of letter writing, medicinal advice, and perfume making. These proved to be very popular. Her first book The Ladies Directory was published at her own expense in 1661, and this was soon reprinted in 1664. Her second book The Cooks Guide, was printed at a her publisher's expense and is dedicated to Maynard's daughter, Lady Anne Wroth (1632–1677), and her own daughter Mary. Woolley earned a reputation as a successful physician, despite her amateur status and the unwelcoming environment for female medical practitioners at that time in history. She used her books as an advertisement for her skills and invited her readers to consult her in person. Woolley remarried in 1666 at St. Margaret's, Westminster, to Francis Challiner, a widower two years older than herself. But her second husband died before February 1669. Woolley's own date of death is unknown. Rather than try to make a made-up complete copy with the difference in cropped page sizes and varying paper colour, the two copies here have been kept as they are and housed together in a handsomely bound clamshell box. The first edition was published in 1673. Even though this is an unauthorized text based on Hannah's books, never the less it is still Woolley's work and extremely rare.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11130

Woolley. Hannah - The rare first edition.
THE COMPLEAT SERVANT-MAID.
OR, THE Young Maidens Tutor. Directing how they may fit, and qualifie themselves for any of those Employments. Viz, Waiting Women, House-keeper, Chamber-maid, Cook-Maid, Under Cook-Maid, Nursery-maid, Dairy-Maid, House-Maid, Scullery-Maid. (a single line) Composed for the great benefit and advantage of all young Maidens. (a single line) LONDON, Printed for T. Passinger, at the tree Bibles on London Bridge, 1677.
FIRST EDITION. 150x92mm. 1fep with large bookplate of John George Mortlock and Licence information on Verso. Title page has a full double line border. [1] 7 pages The Epistle. [1] 1-167. 3 pages Advertisements. 2feps. 2 folding plates of writing examples, between pages 20-21. 1 plate repaired without loss. Pages 142-154 Bills of Fare. Lightly age-browned throughout. Original dark brown calf boards neatly re-tipped. Modern calf spine sympathetically bound in.
- Jilly Lehmann in her very informative book ‘The British Housewife’ has assembled from meagre facts a good dated biography of Hannah Woolley. Probably born 1623, she was one of the most prolific Elizabethan cookery writers. Due to the fact that her works were heavily plagiarised and she produced in total, five cookery books between 1661 and 1677, it made her the dominant figure amongst cookery authors. She was also the first to put her name to her works (although this volume remains anonymous) and make a precarious living from writing cookery books. In the supplement of ‘The Queen-like Closet’, Woolley informs us the she learned her cookery skills from her mother and elder sisters. By the age of seventeen she was employed for seven years by a noble lady, who encouraged her by buying her ingredients and books. She then married Woolley in 1647 when she was twenty-four. Woolley was the master of a free school at Newport Pond in Essex. Seven years later they moved and opened another school in Hackney with sixty boarders. Woolley died leaving Hannah with four children to support. She then married Francis Challinor in 1666. In the early 1660’s she possibly worked for Lady Anne Wroth and her daughter Mary to whom ‘The Cooks Guide’ is dedicated. This last book of Woolley’s is unusual, in that it addresses the complete back-of-house department skills besides just the kitchen. Addressing all the servants, or in Woolley’s words; Young Maidens, advising them of the various crucial skills needed to secure their position and improve them and importantly, to please their titled employers. This book shows just how astute Woolley was. She identified the back-of-house areas not generally covered solely in cookery books and produced one just specifically for that purpose. Oxford has a 1677 edition and comments on the usefulness of this little book. He informs of a 9th edition of 1729 with a supplement, but the plates removed. Hazlitt and Cagle have each a 5th edition of 1691. COPAC shows nine copies of the 1677 - 1st edition in UK holdings.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11215