TOKLAS.   ALICE B.     A rare signed presentation inscription from the Author.
Aromas and Flavors of Past and Present.
PRESENT (small printer's device) Alice B. Toklas WITH INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTS BY POPPY CANNON (small printer's device) HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
FIRST EDITION. 1958. 215x145 mm 1fep with signed inscription " For Patricio and John Lucas - In friendship - Beautifully Alice". [1] Half-title. [1] Title page. Verso with K-H to printer's details. 1p Contents. [1] vii-xxiii Introduction by Poppy Cannon. [1] xxv-xxvi Preface. Another Half-title. [1] 1-160 161-164 Index. 1fep. Near fine D/J with 1x5mm small chip. Price-clipped. Quarter red cloth spine with gilt lettering. Blue paper covers. On the bottom of the front inside cover under the d/j is a tipped-in simple book-plate of JOHN S. LUCAS. Text block as new.
- Toklas's 'Aromas and Flavors' was her second cookbook following the huge popularity of her 'Cook Book' pub: 1954. (see item # 11098 above). In Poppy Cannon's introduction, she describes the rich years of Toklas's and Gertrude Stein's close relationship as one in which Miss Stein wrote and talked, while Miss Toklas cooked and talked. It appears, by Toklas's output of two cookery books, that she also inherited some of Stein's skills. She is also praised by Cannon for being steeped in the traditions of classic French cuisine and a great respect for seventeenth-century gastronomy. A scan of the recipes throws up some unusual dishes: An intriguing Ham & Oyster pie, a diet defying Sweetbread Salad, a humble Sauerkraut with Pig's Trotter, a Duck with Delicate Aspic to be served in candlelight, possibly with Cabbage Pancakes to accompany. One other recipe to catch the eye is Puff Pastry made with Olive Oil instead of butter. One gets a sense of a very serious cook who does a lot of research and is attracted to eccentric dishes. One can imagine the constant company of great artists such as Picasso, Matisse et al, that she and Gertrude Stein regularly entertained, in whom the norm is anything but; therefore one sees in her interesting and unusual cook book the gastronomic norm that the eccentric but creative Toklas embraces. No other recipe in her book personifies this but the "Kidneys in Champagne'. Recommended firstly to use pig or veal kidneys, but failing this, instead of purchasing the nicer tasting Lamb kidneys she recommends Chicken Livers. One can see the influence of early French cuisine that one senses Toklas had a great respect for and she seriously tries to offer this in her cook book. A noble effort. This is initially a very scarce Toklas 2nd title made rare, as no other signed copy has been traced nor appeared in auction.

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Modern category
ref number: 11335

WILLIAMS, MBE.   JOHN     A beautifully designed book, signed by the author.
The Ritz London - The Cookbook
The Ritz Emblem - John Williams, MBE with James Steen Photographed by John Carey - Mitchell Beazely
FIRST EDITION. 2018. Large 4to. 350 x 223 x 25mm. 1fep. 1 page half-title, signed to "Bobby Hendry I hope you enjoy the book. The Evolution of Escoffier's Cuisine. Happy Cooking John Williams". Verso with legal production details. Title page. 2 pages Contents. 6-9 Introduction from John Williams with a beautiful image of a painting of John Williams. (see below) 10-11 Through the revolving door. 1 page photograph of a dish of Quails Eggs. 13-227. 228-231 Basic Recipes and Cooking Notes. 232-223 Pictures of the kitchen and dining room brigades. 234-235 A beautiful 2 page of the dining room and kitchen brigades. 236-238 Index. 239 Glossary of Terms. 240 Compliments of the Chef & About John Williams. 1fep. A sumptuous dark navy cover with embossed silver text. The front cover has the embossed Ritz Emblem. The text block as new. The edges silver. With a thin dark blue cloth bookmark. The whole in excellent condition.
- This is one of the most handsome cookery books I've seen. It is also very unique, as its a book about and representing a very famous hotel written entirely from the Chef's perspective. Encompassing the recipes, the Hotel, the guests, dining areas. the teams and the history conveyed by John William's, whose passion oozes from the pages. One thing not generally understood by people outside the catering trade, but understood well by chefs is the difference between great hotels and great restaurants. In the restaurant the customer comes to wine and dine well, then departs before the restaurant closes. The hotel has the guests staying in-house, with all meals, room service, housekeeping, catering outlets etc that are all required every day. This creates a very different emphasis especially for the upper management. Whereas in a restaurant the focus is on wine, food and ambience. The Ritz hotel requires a 24/7 operation every day of the year. With 111 rooms and 25 suites, its Restaurant, Banqueting rooms, the Palm Court and it's famous afternoon teas, Room service, the spectrum of such varied and differing venue needs, requires a much wider approach. Chef John Williams has also helped create a fine restaurant at the Ritz, gaining its first Michelin star in 2016. At the same time, his overview of the culinary needs of the whole hotel is just as paramount, with a standard that must not drop. His whole catering background is entirely that of great Hotels, his experience very broad and his knowledge very detailed. As a cook he has found his spiritual home in the Ritz. He is a great student and admirer of Auguste Escoffier and what Escoffier's impact has been on all cooks since then. In his own words; "We would not be where we are now as chefs, had it not been for Escoffier". The Hotel was opened in 1906 by Cesar Ritz the great friend and compatriot of Escoffier who was at that time Chef de Cuisine one mile away at the Carlton Hotel Pall Mall. Escoffier and Ritz collaborated in the opening of both Ritz hotels in Paris as well as London. John Williams is very aware that he carries the legacy of those two great hoteliers, and is more than willing to rise to the challenge. Possibly helping to surpass it. One thing in the book that makes me believe this, is Williams's own story on the last page about Mr Shannon at Claridge's Hotel. This story is in the full spirit of Ritz and Escoffier, both of whom had the complete welfare and well-being of their guests as their highest priority. The book also impresses with the beautiful colour plates and recipes. I have picked one to show below in photographs 4 and 5 that possibly conveys everything about the Ritz and its history. Canard à la presse is a traditional French dish considered the height of culinary elegance. Originally a specialty of Rouen. The Rouen or Rhone ducks are large and have great flavour. It has also gained fame as a specialty of La Tour d'Argent restaurant in Paris. It consists of various parts of a roasted duck served in a sauce of its blood and bone marrow, which is extracted by way of the press seen in the photograph. The book shows all the other great dishes that The Ritz Hotel London is rightly famous for. Chef John Williams's mastery shines from every page, and is a professional testament to a life of cooking, learning, passion and achievement.

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Modern category
ref number: 11256

Woodbridge.   George    
The Reform Club
1836-1978 A history from the Club's records by GEORGE WOODBRIDGE With a foreward by MAURICE ASHLEY, C.B.E. Privately printed for Members of the Reform Club in association with Clearwater Publishing Company, Inc., New York and Toronto 1978.
FIRST EDITION. 1978. 250x180mm. 1fep. Half title. Verso with frontispiece - lithograph of London Clubs incl. The Reform. Title page. Verso with ISBN. 2p Forward. 2p Preface and Acknowledgements. 2p Contents and Illustrations. 1-173. [1] 175-178 Bibliography. 179-185 Index. [1] 1fep. With numerous photographs and illustrations in-text, some full page. Fully bound navy blue cloth and gilt writing and tooling on the spine and front cover. With a wine red d/j. All in excellent condition; as new.
- The Reform Club is a gentlemen's club on the south side of Pall Mall (at number 104), in central London. Originally for men only, it has admitted women since 1981. In 1977 its subscription fees were among the highest in London. It was founded in 1836 by Edward Ellice, Whig whip, whose riches came from the bank 'The Hudson's Bay Company', but whose zeal was chiefly devoted to securing the passage of the Reform Act of 1832. The new club, for members of both Houses of Parliament, was meant to be a centre for the radical ideas which that bill represented; a bastion of liberal and progressive thought that became closely associated with the Liberal Party, which had largely succeeded the Whigs by the middle of the 19th century. Until the decline of the Liberal Party, it was de rigueur for Liberal MPs to be members of the Reform Club, which almost constituted another party headquarters, although the National Liberal Club, formed under William Gladstone's chairmanship, was established in 1882, designed to be more "inclusive", and was geared more towards Liberal grandees and activists in the country. The building, like its neighbor the Travellers Club, (number 106), was designed by Sir Charles Barry and opened in 1841. The new club was palatial, the design being based on the Farnese Palace in Rome. The Reform was one of the first clubs to have bedrooms, and its library contains some 75,000 books, mostly political history and biography. The Library was established in 1841, shortly after the Club moved into the newly built clubhouse. A comprehensive collection of parliamentary papers, reports, speeches and reference works was regarded as essential for the many active politicians amongst the early members. But the Library also aimed to achieve a broad coverage in the humanities, in order to serve the Club's more general cultural aims. The Library was formed under the guidance of Sir Anthony Panizzi, a Club member and also the most distinguished librarian of the age; from 1856 to 1866 Panizzi held the post of Principal Librarian to the British Museum, where he is particularly remembered as the designer of the famous circular Reading Room. Another famous aspect of the Club is its association with Alexis Soyer. The flamboyant chef, self-promoter and writer of several important cookery books, became Chef de Cuisine in 1837. He designed the kitchens with Charles Barry at the newly built Club. He instituted many innovations, including cooking with gas, refrigerators cooled by cold water, and ovens with adjustable temperatures. His kitchens were so famous that they were opened for conducted tours. When Queen Victoria was crowned on 28 June 1838, he prepared a breakfast for 2,000 people in the Club. His salary was more than £1,000 a year. His eponymous Lamb Cutlets Reform are still on the menu of this grand institution. During the Great Irish Famine in April 1847, he invented the 'magic stove' and designed a soup kitchen. The Government asked him to go to Ireland to implement his idea. He got indefinite leave from the Club and opened his soup kitchen in Dublin and his 'famine soup' was served to thousands of the poor for free. Soyer resigned from the Reform Club in May 1850. He was succeeded by another famous Victorian cookery-book writer; Charles Elme Francatelli, who went on to serve the club with distinction for seven years. This volume is an interesting history of an important London institution and bastion of the more liberal elements of the British establishment.

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Modern category
ref number: 11110