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MacGeoch.   Catriona.     A fascinating and dangerous tradition from the Outer Hebrides.
SULAISGIER.
Photographs by James MacGeoch. Catriona MacGeoch / with John Love & Finely MacLeod. A small shield device of Acair Books (the publisher)
FIRST EDITION. 2010. 215 x 250 mm. 2feps. 1p Photograph of Gannets. Half-Title. Title Page. Verso Contents. 1p Preface. Verso with Dedication. 4p James MacGeoch. 1p Graham MacGeoch. A letter reproduced. 1p Map of Sulaisgier. xvi - xviii James MacGeoch 1914-1970. xix - xxvi Eathar Shulaisgier in Gaelic. 1p Photoraph. (2) 4-130 b&w Photographs. [1] 132 - 136 Descriptions of Photographs. 2 feps. Back and front covers with b&w Photographs In fine condition with a CD of film enclosed. Text in English and Gaelic.
- This fine book by Catriona MacGeoch is a dedication to her father, James MacGeoch who took most of the b&w photographs and Catriona wanting to record the strong tradition of the hunters of Sulaisgier. Condensed from an article in The Scotsman newspaper online, about a filmed documentary that centres on a venture every August to a remote Atlantic outcrop called Sùlaisgeir. It is an annual ritual that was first recorded in the 16th century about the young Gannet (called Guga in Gaelic) hunters, who are licensed by Scottish Natural Heritage to kill 2,000 three-month old young Gannets who have just shed their soft white baby feathers and acquired their dark adult plumage Film crews follow the ten men from the remote community of Ness (who are known collectively as Niseachs), on Lewis, on the Outer Hebrides, as they venture for the cull approximately forty miles north by boat. After the team arrive ashore following a five-hour sea trip, they set up their camp, covering an ancient bothy with tarpaulin and building a chute and pulley system so they can move equipment up and dead birds down the soaring cliffs. A radio transmitter is put up to allow contact with home. The men live on the island for two exhausting weeks, sleeping rough in the bothy, which was first constructed by monks over a thousand years ago. Using time-honoured traditional methods, the hunters work ceaselessly and dangerously, killing and processing the 2,000 birds by catching them with a long pole and clip, before it is quickly stunned by hitting it on the back of the head with a stick, then beheaded. The cliffs are very slippery and the men bind their shoes with rough canvas to allow some grip (see image #3 below). The dead Guga are then plucked, cut open and splayed, removing the innards and singeing the skin with flames, then covering with rough salt inside and out, and finally stacked in a neat but tightly layered pile. They are then, at the end of the hunt, sent down the chute to be taken back to Ness with the hunters, whom one imagines that by this time, probably smell pretty ripe themselves. The film gives rare access to the hunters who read from the Bible twice a day, sleep top to tail in the cramped bothy and hold a bar-b-q on their last night, of roasted Guga, marinated in madras powder and whisky. The film features Dods MacPhárlain, who holds the licence for the hunt, as he embarks on his 42nd and final trip to Sùlaisgeir. He said: “I’ve smelt the Guga since I was a year old so I was destined to go. It means so much to me. That’s probably why I have been going for over forty years. A tradition which spans centuries, the hunt is the last of its kind in the UK. The flesh of the young gannet is regarded as a delicacy in Ness today though, for others, it is an acquired taste. The Guga smell very strongly once processed during the hunt and stored. Many Ness women will not allow them into the house. It was a popular meat in earlier times in Scotland. In the sixteenth century it was served at the tables of Scots kings and was a favourite with the wealthy as a ’whet’ or appetizer before main meals. This is a fascinating insight into a community still carrying forward a very old tradition. What is also compelling, is to realize that this extremely dangerous hunt of the Guga would have started as a pragmatic necessity of survival. In other articles online, one reads that the extreme smell of the preserved seabird is almost addictive. It also mirrors the famous Hákarl, the national dish of Iceland consisting of a Greenland shark or other sleeper shark which have been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for four to five months. The smell being as objectionable to the unsuspecting nose as the Hebridean Guga. Other very obnoxious smelly fare are the dried fish of India and Vietnam that show the same need for preservation as the more easily acceptable Bacalhau of Portugal and Spain. In this time of storage freezers, fast national and international transportation and distribution of fresh fish and meats, it's amazing that a love for those foods has stayed so strong. Just as Dods MacPhárlain said above, that the smell of Guga since he was one year old compelled him to carry the tradition forward and to crave the taste of that preserved young bird.

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Modern category
ref number: 11267
Montagné.   Prosper     A handsome copy in the original state.
Larousse Gastronomique
Paris, France, Librairie Larousse, 1938
FIRST EDITON. 4to. Patterned paste-downs and endpapers. Preface by A. Escoffier and Ph. Gilbert. 1850 engravings and 16 full page plates in colour. French text. Black and white photos & illustrations throughout. Contents very clean and bright with very little sign of use. Original embossed and decorated cloth boards and spine. Gilt lettering is bright and clean. A wonderful copy.
- Alongside Georges-Auguste Escoffier's ‘Le Guide Culinaire’ and Louis Saulnier's ‘Le Répertoire de la Cuisine’, the Larousse Gastronomique became one of the key reference works on French national and regional cuisine for the professional chef. It is a reference text that codifies a history of the French culinary arts from the distant past to the present day in encyclopedic form. Entries cover such items as culinary terminology, foods, kitchen equipment, techniques, national cuisines, regional French cuisines, and historically significant chefs and restaurants. Philéas Gilbert was a collaborator in the creation of this book and also 'Le Guide Culinaire' with Escoffier, leading to some cross-over with the two books and causing Escoffier to note when he was asked to write the preface that he could “see with my own eyes, and Montagné (a Chef himself) cannot hide from me the fact that he has used 'Le Guide' as a basis for his new book, and certainly used numerous recipes.” Montagné's work signaled a break with the preceding era of French cookery (albeit with a big helping from his collaboration with the true Master; Escoffier) as exemplified by the architectural creations of Marie Antoine Carême. Montagné emphasized dishes that were simple by Carême's standards, and the shortened menus were delivered in the Russian style of service; meals served in courses on individual plates. This philosophy inspired the name of his culinary encyclopedia. Montagné covered the range from the relatively new haute cuisine to French provincial and home cooking with some attention to classic dishes of other nations Three editions of the Larousse gastronomique have been published in English. The first edition was published in 1961. Jennifer Harvey Lang edited the second English edition, published in 1988, from the 1984 French edition compiled and directed by Robert J. Courtine. Courtine's introduction describes the first edition as a monumental work, albeit one in need of some refurbishment. The new editions take into account technical innovations, advancements in food science, and a new culture of dining characterized by simpler meals and a dietary palette expanded through travel and global commerce. Yet the core achievements of Montagné including his recipes and technical advice on classical and regional French dishes are preserved. For the third English edition, published in 2001, Jennifer Harvey Lang worked from a new French edition edited by Joël Robuchon, the president of the Gastronomy committee of the Librairie Larousse. This edition claims to have retained the classic dishes and techniques of the original edition with a new found sensitivity to global influences in technique, presentation, ingredients, and recipes. It is 1,350 pages, over 150 pages longer than the preceding English edition and it includes two hundred new recipes and four hundred new entries. The Larousse Gastronomique no longer sits alone —- if it ever did. It does not provide the detail of the more narrow but specialized cookbooks. Nevertheless, it covers an immense breadth of culinary material, justifying its continued importance as a great volume of reference of French gastronomic tradition.

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Modern category
ref number: 11020
NEWHAM-DAVIS.   LIEUT.-COL.     - A gastronomic tour of London 1914.
THE GOURMET'S GUIDE.
TO LONDON. BY LIEUT.-COL. NEWHAM-DAVIS. Author of 'The Gourmet's Guide to Europe" (small printer's device). LONDON GRANT RICHARDS LTD. PUBLISHERS
FIRST EDITION: 1914. 165 X 110 mm. 1fep. Half-title. Verso has frontis. Tissue guard then Title page. [1] 1p. Aphorism of Brillat Savarin. [1] 1p TO ALL GOOD GOURMETS. [1] ix - x Preface. xi - xiv Contents. xv List of four illustrations. [1] 1 - 386. 2feps. The text block very clean. Bound in a maroon cloth with gilt text on spine and front cover with bright gilt cartoon figure of a Maitre de Hotel. The whole book in excellent condition.
- Newham-Davis was an avid gastronome who checked out and dined at a huge number of London's eateries, hotels and restaurants. This was the time when Escoffier was ensconced at the Carlton Hotel on the corner of Haymarket and Pall Mall. One of the four illustrations in the book is a famous photograph of Escoffier, (see image #3 below) with a signed dedication to Newham-Davis [N-D]. One of the questions N-D was frequently asked is where is the best place in London to dine. He further states that he always replies with another question; "whom are you going to take out to dinner, because there are so many 'best places', If a man answers that he wishes to entertain some bachelors of his own ripe age and taste, where the food is excellent, the rooms comfortable and no band to interfere with conversation, then the diagnosis is a Cafe Royal one. Very astute. For a City Banquet he recommends on page 308 the Mercers Hall as most of his forbears had been of that guild. He explains in the beginning that he drank 1884 Pommery at one banquet and that his great-great-uncle who was Lord Mayor and Grandfather who was a very peppery and litigious old gentleman. His great uncle was in turn once the Master of the Company. On page 313 N-D goes to introduce himself the famous Mrs Rosa Lewis. She was known as the 'Queen of Cooks and the proprietress of the Cavendish Hotel that occupied three houses, 81 to 83 Jermyn St. He is given a shock on meeting Mrs Lewis. Due to his assumption that his family cook, whom he describes as a portly lady given to wearing church-going attire, he gets a huge shock on meeting Rosa Lewis. His vague ideas are shattered and sent spinning when a slim, graceful lady with a pretty oval face and charming eyes with hair just touched with grey. (see image #5 below). Her culinary skills were highly prized by Edward V11 with whom she was also rumoured to have had an affair. She tells N-D that her whole kitchen brigade consists of girls, believing that having accomplished woman cooks in the kitchen was far more preferable than having male chefs. She also tells of a dish of Quail pudding that is a big favourite of the KIng. N-D finally explains to Mrs Lewis that he considers she holds an equal and parallel position in the kitchen to that of the great French Maitre-Chef, Escoffier. Rosa replied that she admired him not only as a great cook but also as a great gentleman. This is an absorbing book of abundant factual detail, written very well by Lieut- Col Newham-Davis. He appears too be very well connected and a fascinating diligent net-worker. There is a slight gossipy edge to his observations that hold the attention admirably.

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Modern category
ref number: 11288
Nignon   Edouard     - A special limited 2nd edition - #1445 of 2105.
Les Plaisirs de la Table
Ou, sous une forme nouvelle, l'Auteur a devoile maints delicieux secrets et recettes de bonne Cuisine, transcrit les precieux et de fins Gourmets fameux et de fins Gourmets, conseillers aimables et surs en l'Art du Bein Manger PREFACE DE M. ROBERT DE FLERS de l'Academie Francaise (A prinetr's device of a sheep) DESSINS de P.F. GRIGNON. A.PARIS CHEZ L'AUTEUR. 3, Place de la Madeleine et chez LAPINA. EDITEUR. 75, Rue Denfert-Rochereau Overage Depose
4to. Paste-down and fep with brown-on-brown design of food dishes and laid tables. 1fep. Half title. On the verso a breakdown of the print run stylishly designed as a wine glass and dated - April 15th 1930. Title page.[1] Dedication to A. Antonin Careme by Nignon. On verso - red illustration of a table setting. (1)ii-vii Preface by Robert de Flers. 1p Chapitre Premier. [1] 3-330. 331-334 Errata. 335-339 Table des Matieres. 1p Printer's device. 1fep. Last page and paste-down with brown-on-brown design of food dishes and laid tables. Text in black with many very fine red illustrations throughout. The start of each chapter is a full page illustrated design in red. Full original art nouveau style red and black paper cover with gold embossed lines in very good slightly faded condition. The spine has 1.5" chip at the top of the spine and a small chip at the bottom but has been finely repaired. Internally very clean. Edges untrimmed and many uncut.
- This handsome fully original copy of 'Les Plaisirs de la Table' is a true reflection of Nignon as a highly gifted chef who had a reputation for cooking very fine food. In print it is even recorded that at the time when Nignon was the Maitre Chef de Cuisine at Claridges Hotel in London, many in the trade thought him a superior craftsman to Escoffier, who was at the same time, Maitre Chef de Cuisine of The Carlton Hotel in Pall Mall. This copy although slightly larger page-wise than the first edition of 1926, is of a more pleasing design.

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Modern category
ref number: 11143
Nignon.   Edouard     - in fine original state.
Les Plaisirs de la Table
Ou, sous une forme nouvelle, l'Auteur a devoile maints delicieux secrets et recettes de bonne Cuisine, transcrit les precieux et de fins Gourmets fameux et de fins Gourmets, conseillers aimables et surs en l'Art du Bein Manger PREFACE DE M. ROBERT DE FLERS de l'Academie Francaise (A prinetr's device of a sheep) DESSINS de P.F. GRIGNON. A.PARIS CHEZ L'AUTEUR et chez J. MEYNAIL, Libraire, 30, Boulevard HAUSSMANN OUVRAGE DEPOSE.
FIRST EDITION. Circa 1926. 4to. Paste-down and fep with red and blue print design. 1fep. Half title. [1] 1p Dedication to A. Antonin Careme by Nignon. Frontispiece is a small red illustration. Title page.[1] (1)viii-xiv Preface by Robert de Flers. 1p Chapitre Premier. [1] (1)18-326. 1p Journal. [1] (1)329-333 Table des Matieres. 1p Printer's device. Last fep and paste-down with red and blue print design. Text in black with many very fine red illustrations throughout. The start of each chapter is a full page illustrated design in red. Full original blue and crimson paper cover in very good slightly faded condition. The covers supported by strong cardboard inserts. Internally very clean with pages slightly age browned due to the paper quality used at that time. Edges untrimmed. A nice original copy of an unusually well designed cookery book in Art Nouveau style.
- Edouard Nignon was born, one of eight siblings, in Nantes on November 9, 1865. At the very tender age of ten he was apprenticed to the restaurant Cambronne in Nantes, October 9, 1874. A year later, October 20, 1875, he entered the restaurant Monier, the best in the town. Some women there taught him to read and write in the style of the area. Later he worked in some of the largest Paris houses with the greatest chefs such as the Cafe Anglais and The Paillard, gaining a classic apprenticeship and elsewhere; Asst. Chef saucier at Chez Bignon. Chef saucier at Chez Voisin. Chef entremettier à l'exposition de 1889. Chef rôtisseur at La Lapérouse. Chef des cuisines at Marivaux. His many experiences and positions gave him access to the highest levels of society and a growing reputation. Nignon emigrated to Austria as Chef to the Emperor of Austria and then to Russia where he served the Czar and at L'Ermitage in Moscow and commanded a Kitchen brigade of 120 chefs. He also travelled to Britain where he held the post from 1894 - 1901 of Maitre Chef des Cuisiniers at Claridges Hotel in London. At this time another great Chef - Escoffier, was working at the Savoy and then the Carlton Hotel, Pall Mall. It is rumoured in print that there was a professional rivalry between the two chefs. The rumours indicate that many thought Nignon to be the more creative and precise craftsman. Nignon made his fortune and returned to Paris where he bought a house in 1908 and created the Restaurant Larue in the Place de la Madeleine. It became the most elegant in Paris, its customers were the finest in the world; artists, poets, writers, government ministers, stars of the stage, kings and princes, also cooking for President Woodrow Wilson. One client, le Marquis de Rouge, a prominent gourmet, once told Nignon that he liked and wanted a pink duck dish. Nignon created the famous ‘Caneton à la presse’, serving it with a bottle of Musigny 1884. He is also credited with creating the dish 'Homard à l'Américaine'. Nignon was also a successful business-man. Sacha Guitry, who knew him well, later wrote in the preface to one of his many books; ‘He always consulted with profit’. For the last years at his restaurant Nignon traded the chef’s toque for the Maitre d’ Hotel’s black uniform. His fame grew and grew. Observed going from table to table, advising a sole, offering a partridge, suggesting a dessert or a wine from his famous cellar, it was said that all Paris dined at his table. Nignon retired in 1921 and returned to Britain, where he died in 1934. (one year before Escoffier expired). Besides ‘Les Plaisirs de la Table’, he wrote two other great books: ‘L’Heptameron des Gourmets, ou, Les Delices de la Cuisine Francaise’, and ‘Eloges de la Cuisine Francaise’.

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Modern category
ref number: 11134
Nignon.   Edouard     - A rare signed copy.
Les Plaisirs de la Table
Ou, sous une forme nouvelle, l'Auteur a devoile maints delicieux secrets et recettes de bonne Cuisine, transcrit les precieux et de fins Gourmets fameux et de fins Gourmets, conseillers aimables et surs en l'Art du Bein Manger PREFACE DE M. ROBERT DE FLERS de l'Academie Francaise (A prinetr's device of a sheep) DESSINS de P.F. GRIGNON. A.PARIS CHEZ L'AUTEUR et chez J. MEYNAIL, Libraire, 30, Boulevard HAUSSMANN OUVRAGE DEPOSE.
FIRST EDITION. Circa 1926. 4to. Paste-down and fep with red and blue print design. [1] 1 plain fep with Nignon’s signature and a dedication written in ink in a beautiful cursive script; a Madame Erlanger Respectueux Hommages de L’auteur E. Nignon. Half title. [1] 1p Dedication to A. Antonin Careme by Nignon. Frontispiece is a small red illustration. Title page.[1] (1)viii-xiv Preface by Robert de Flers. 1p Chapitre Premier. [1] (1)18-326. 1p Journal. [1] (1)329-333 Table des Matieres. 1p Printer's device. Last fep and paste-down with red and blue print design. Text in black with many very fine red illustrations throughout. The start of each chapter is a full-page illustrated design in red. Full original blue and crimson paper cover in very good condition. Internally very clean with pages slightly age browned due to the paper quality used at that time. Edges untrimmed and many pages uncut. A nice original copy of the first edition with the author’s signature.
- Edouard Nignon was born, one of eight siblings in Nantes on November 9, 1865. He died in Britian in 1934 one year before his great professional French compatriot, Auguste Escoffier. Nignon considered by many contemporaries to have been one of the best chefs of the time. He wrote and published three main titles. Two editions of Les Plaisirs de la Table, the first published in 1926. Two editions, the first published in 1919 of L' Heptaméron des Gourmets, ou, Les Délices de la Cuisine Française. One edition, first published in 1933 of Éloges de la Cuisine Française. Copies with Nignon’s signature are extremely rare.

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Modern category
ref number: 11186
Nignon.   Edouard     - In fine original condition.
E. NIGNON ELOGES DE LA CUISINE FRANCAISE
PRESENTATION DE SACHA GUITRY (A small illustration of game, fish, casserole and wine bottle) PARIS L'EDITION D'ART H. PIAZZA 19, RUE BONAPARTE. With an elaborate ornate illustrated blue/green border.
FIRST EDITION 1933. 238 x 190mm. 1fep. Half title. [1] Title page. [1] Pages 1&2 Presentation by Sacha Guitry. Dedication page to Robert de Flers. [1] 1page with large illustration in blue/green. [1] 11-426. 427-441- Index Alphabetique. [1]443-444 Index. Many beautiful illustrations thoughout. 1page Ouverges de Meme Auteur. 2feps. Text block in fine clean condition with many pages uncut. Original complete soft covers. The spine is age browned and the covers slightly less so, but everything as originally issued and clearly legible (See image # 1). A wonderful copy.
- While researching Nignon’s book I came across an article written in the Hotelkeeper & Caterer on 4th May 2004 by Michel Roux, the famous chef & proprietor of the Waterside Inn, Bray, Berkshire. It explained the book so well that I have copied the article in its entirety…….. “The cookbook I refer to most is 'Eloges de la Cuisine Française' by Edouard Nignon. It was originally published in 1933, but I found my copy quite by chance 35 years ago in a London bookshop. (It seems to be available only at auction now.) I knew about Nignon, of course - that he was one of our great chefs along with Escoffier and Carême, but I hadn't read anything that he'd written. As soon as I picked the book up and flicked through it I was hooked. I could sense the spirit of the man behind it - a man with a great passion for his career. Food for him was a life, a mission. He not only loved cooking, he loved to eat, too. And as well as being a great chef, he worked front-of-house in his own Paris restaurant, Le Restaurant Larue, in the early 20th century. That struck a chord with me, because when Albert and I first opened Le Gavroche in London we used to take it in turns to put on our evening suits and take the orders at the table. Something that made this book special was the fact that it really was ahead of its time. The way Nignon cooked would be totally acceptable today. His recipes show true respect for his produce, and they are light already - not dependent on cream at all. They rely on skill and the quality and taste of produce. This is why I love the book so much. The book is divided into three parts, with two-thirds being recipe-led and the remaining third being about Nignon's life. The first part is broadly on gastronomy, the second part is on the treasures of the kitchen - flavours, the table, etc - and the third part is written around different dinners that Nignon cooked. All the pages of my book are well-thumbed, and I can say absolutely that elements of many of my dishes have been inspired by the recipes and philosophies in it. Nignon passed on such a wealth of knowledge and wrote in such a passionate and inspirational manner - the beauty of a true master. The book is like a companion to me, because I can see part of myself in the book. It is truly inspirational to me - a work of art. Some of my more senior chefs at the Waterside have read this book, but as it is written in French and it is a very advanced book, it would have very little meaning to young chefs who are at the start of their culinary career, I think. It's one for when you are older.”

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Modern category
ref number: 11195
Ningon.   Edouard     Signed by Nignon in his beautiful handwriting.
E. NIGNON ELOGES DE LA CUISINE FRANCAISE
PRESENTATION DE SACHA GUITRY (A small illustration of game, fish, casserole and wine bottle) PARIS L'EDITION D'ART H. PIAZZA 19, RUE BONAPARTE. With an elaborate ornate illustrated blue/green border.
FIRST EDITION 1933. 241 x7. 3feps. Original Cover. 1fep. Author's signature and dedication; 'Hommages respectueux de P. Cluteur a Madame Mourry qui sait si lieu apprecier L'art gastronomique E. Nignon. Paris le 7 Novembre 1933.' [1] Half Title. [1] Title page. [1] p1 & 2 Presentation by Sacha Guitry. Dedication page to Robert de Flers. [1] 1p with large illustration in blue/green. [1] 11-426. 427-441- Index Alphabetique. [1]443-444 Index. Many beautiful illustrations though-out. 1p Ouverges de Meme Auteur. [1] 2 original feps. Original back cover. First three pages (signed and presentation) foxed. Text block in fine clean condition with many fine illustrations. Everything as originally issued and clearly legible. The whole original book bound into a quarter burgundy leather binding and burgundy marbled boards. The spine with raised bands and gilt text. In wonderful condition.
- From the 'fnac' website online in an interesting article translated from French, we see how they express a panegyric to one of their own. Edouard Nignon (1865 - 1934), cook of Kings, the Tsar and celebrities of his time. Everyone recognizes in him one of the great masters of the French kitchen. Written by Édouard Nignon and published in 1933, this book 'Eloges de la Cuisine Francaise', presents all aspects of French cuisine, from menus to recipes, all sprinkled with the author's tasty anecdotes. Divided into three parts, the book proposes to discover traditional recipes of French cuisine and classified by theme and culinary precepts. The second part lays the foundations of the essential and basic know-how in the kitchen: soups, sauces, ice creams, spices, marinades. Lastly, come the "formulas" (a term preferred to that of "recipes"), extracted from lunches and dinners that took place during the year 1876. A description of these meals is recounted by Nignon, a testimony that instantly immerses us in the atmosphere of the time. Édouard Nignon trained very early in prestigious Parisian restaurants and, at the age of 27, even organized the dinners of Emperor Franz Joseph in Vienna. His career then took place abroad: Claridges Hotel in London, the Hermitage in Moscow, the banquets of a thousand covers for Tsar Nicholas II in the Kremlin. In 1908, he returned to France to fulfil his dream by becoming the owner of the famous restaurant Larue, which he ran for more than 13 years. One menu from the book at the Champs Elysees on the 31 December 1876 starts with / Oysters and Caviar with blinis by Smolensk. POTAGES / Crème Nerval Consumed Leczinska Friandises: Dauphines de Volaille, Palermitains. POISSONS / Trout Salmon at the Villars. / Lobster Tails Villemain. ENTREES / National Poularde Countess. Rosette d'Agneau de Bordeaux. Supreme of Woodcocks and their Essence. ROTS / Royal chilled Foie Gras Surprise Salad Gauloise. Legumes / Collection of Artichokes Soufflés. ENTREMETS / Madeleine of Pineapple Palphis Sultane with Punch Fruits. VINS / Chablis-Moutonnes 1842 / Château-Margaux 1855 / Musigny 1848 / Champagne.

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Modern category
ref number: 11332
Oxford.   Arnold Whitaker     - with a tipped-in letter signed by Oxford
Notes from a Collector's Catalogue
With a Bibliography of English Cookery Books, By A. W. Oxford. London: Messrs. JOHN and EDWARD BUMPUS. Limited, 350, Oxford Street. 1909.
FIRST EDITION 1909. On the first blank, a tipped in one page letter written and signed by Oxford. [1] Title page. [1] 1p Contents. [1] (1)2-116. 1p with printers info. [1] 2 feps. With original very clean grey cardboard boards with black ink title on the front. A cream cloth spine lightly browned. Half the original label missing. Internally a very clean, tight binding and untrimmed. Overall a very good copy in the original state. A very scarce item especially in this condition and with the signed letter.
- Dr. Arnold Whitaker Oxford was born at Keynsham in 1854, and graduated from Oxford University. He died on May. 30 1947 at the age of 93 after enjoying a long medical career. At one time he was resident at Charing Cross Hospital. He wrote quite a few books. Some on Freemasons but the better known on cookery. Oxford was an inveterate and odd collector. He started with playing cards and their accessories, and among many other collecting fevers he amassed collections of old silver, stay busks, knitting needle sheaths, domestic implements, seals and writing materials. diaries and engravings, religious objects, Egyptian antiquities, calendars, clocks and finally the items that fired him up the most: cookery books. He wrote two cookery bibliographies that are much used by collectors. This one -- 'Notes from a Collectors Catalogue' and the more comprehensive ' English Cookery Books to the Year 1850' On page 40 of the 'Notes from a Collectors Catalogue' there is a very good list of English books on Cookery and Carving up to the year 1699. Listing not only Oxford's collection, but also the holdings of the Bodleian, the British Museum, and the Cambridge and Patent Office libraries. At the back is also an STC of Cookery Books from 1700. The handwritten letter by Oxford is in his small 'hard to read' style states (as far as I can make out) -- 'July 2.19.08 Dear Sir I hear you bought lot 68 at Sothebys on June 25. 1908. I should be most obliged if you would let me see 'The Court & Country Cook' at home if ------. I cant come up and see it myself as I have been in bed for weeks. I am writing to present you with a book of mine as you will see from it on page 97 ----- I must want the ----. Y faithfully a.w. oxford.' (then written & underlined in another hand) --'Entered 3.7.09'. The cookbook 'The Court & Country Cook' referred to above by Oxford can be seen on this site - item #11120. This is a translation into English of Massialot’s two famous books, 'Nouveau cuisinier royal et bourgeois' and 'Nouvelle instruction pour les confitures'. As this book was printed in 1702. One wonders whether Oxford had already seen a copy and wanted to re-check some details for his Collector's Catalogue of 1909, or this was his first sight of a very rare book.

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Modern category
ref number: 11093
Pant.   Pushpesh    
INDIA COOKBOOK
Written by: PUSHPESH PANT. THE ONLY COOKBOOK ON INDIAN FOOD YOU'LL EVER NEED. PRODUCE OF INDIA. 1000 RECIPES. REAP #:1-0-06-205. WWW.PHAIDON.COM
FIRST EDITION 2010. 4to. 277x185mm. Pastedown and endpaper with a lovely 'welcome' illustration (see image #2 below). [1] Half-title with an illustration of the sun and rays. Title page is a copy of the colourfully illustrated front cover. 2p Contents. (3)9-27 Introduction starting with map of india and portrait of the author, P.Pant. 2p Photograph of spice merchant. (1)31-793. 2 p Illustration for Directory 796-797. 2 p Illustration for Index 800-815. 1p Author's acknowledgements. [1] Illustrated end-paper and paste-down. Fully bound in white hard cardboard covers with an illustration of the sun and rays and bordered in typical Indian colours. The text block is richly illustrated with many two-page colour illustrations in the famous style of hand-painted Indian film posters. With numerous full page photographs of authentic Indian dishes. All the numerous chapters in multi-coloured paper. The book comes in a typical cream coloured Indian cloth bag with the same illustration as the book cover. A nice unusual touch. Pristine condition, as new.
- This beautiful book oozes India with a very Indian feel and style to it (you can almost smell the simmering spices!). It has been very well thought out with many innovative ideas to the layout. As someone who has been working and cooking in India for over 40 years, this book strikes me as one of the best so far. The author, Pushpesh Pant (a tongue twister for any westerner) was born in 1946 in Nainital, northern India, and is a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. A regular recipe columnist, author of many cookbooks and host of a very good TV series, he has spent two decades collecting authentic family recipes from all over the country. They have been carefully edited, tested and collated to produce a remarkable collection documenting the rich diversity of Indian cuisine. When one first comes across this book, the unusual way it is presented in the cloth bag (see image #1 below) grabs one's attention immediately and that focus doesn't waver as one peruses the whole volume. This book may well gain and sustain a well deserved, long lasting reputation.

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Modern category
ref number: 11171


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