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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

David. Elizabeth - With a 2-page recipe typed and written by ED.
THE HARVEST OF THE COLD MONTHS.
The Social History of Ice and Ices. ELIZABETH DAVID. Edited by Jill Norman (A small publisher's device of a mermaid) MICHAEL JOSEPH. LONDON.
FIRST EDITION 1994. 240 X 165 X 35 mm. 1fep. Half-title. [1] Title Page. Verso Publisher's details. v - vi Contents. vii - vii Editor's Preface. ix - x Acknowledgements. xi - xvii Introduction. [1] 1 - 401. 402 - 403 Index. [1] 1fep. ENCLOSED: A two-page typed letter on thin paper with a large added note at the end hand-written by ED. Also enclosed is a single hand-written letter to me from Jill Norman the editor of the book and executor of ED's estate and papers. The letter confirming the recipe as ED's. Also enclosed is a folded card with a photograph of ED's grave-stone in the grounds of St. Peter's Church, Folkington, Sussex. Hard bound in dark blue cloth with silver text to spine with a fine dust-wrapper. Condition as new.
- Elizabeth David CBE, was a phenomenal writer of cookery books and able with her prose to evoke the very smells of the countries and their cuisine's. This gift inspired legions of admirers and cooks. Her books should have been called 'Great culinary travelogues with recipes'. This book about the winter months is a dense academic cum research work that still retains the interest and is also a very enjoyable read. Jill Norman has done a fantastic job to bring her friend's writing to print two years after her demise in 1992.

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Modern category

ref number: 11283

Schumacher-Voelker. Uta - A wonderful reference.
Front cover: CULINARY BOOKPLATE:
An annotated Picture Book.
150 x 150 mm. 1fep. No Title page. 53 pages of bookplates with owner's names underneath. [1] 2 empty pages for notes. 1 fep. Strong black carboard covers with Uta Schumacher-Voelker's bookplate on the front and Blanchet Magon's on the back. Very good condition; as new.
- This is an interesting and very unusual little book. All fifty-three pages full of nicely copied and presented bookplates. Some of the more well-known cookery book writers and collectors, Chefs etc; Alan Davidson, Elizabeth David, John Craig, Clarissa Dixon Wright, John Fuller, Pierre Koffmann, Waldo Lincoln, Eleanor Lowenstein, Anton Mosimann, Claudia Q. Murphy, Edouard Nignon, Raymond Oliver, Pierre Orsi, Cyril Ray, Harry Schremli, Luis Szathmary, Joseph Vehling, Robert Viel, Georges Vicaire, Lord Westbury, Anne Willan, Tore Wretman and finally John Yudkin. Uta Schumacher-Voelker has produced a wonderful book that is a useful reference guide and a quite comprehensive gathering of beautifully laid out bookplates.

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Modern category

ref number: 11334

Soyer. Alexis Benoit Rare; signed twice.
Written by Soyer, whilst in the Crimea.
"Scutari Barrack Hospital, Constantinople. 26th April 1855. My Dear Sir I am happy to inform you that since the last time I had the pleasure of shaking hands with you, I have employed my time with the greatest success and no doubt inform the receipt you will have heard thro the public press of the rapid progress I have made – I have now left for a few days the great Barrack Hospital of Scutari for Kullalee, where my services are also required - I shall shortly proceed to Balaclava. I have not yet presented my accounts which I need hardly say far exceeds the amount advanced me by the Government, having brought with me two cooks from Paris, besides my Secretary, but will do so very shortly – A Soyer - I apprehend W. Hilton, the Purveyor in Chief is the gentleman to whom I shall have to apply – With the highest consideration I have the honour to be yours very ably. A Soyer. ___ Croome Esquire."
1½ pages of Soyer's light script written while in the Crimea. Signed at the bottom of the first page, including the extra half page postscript with the second signature. Measuring 13 x 7½ inches with folds‚ in good clean condition‚ with an integral blank leaf. The letter housed in a slip inside a handsome folder with red marbled paper and label.
- The Crimean War was a military conflict fought between October 1853 and March 1856, in which Russia lost to an alliance of France, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire and Sardinia. Alexis Soyer (1810 – 1858)‚ the French chef who became the most celebrated cook in Victorian England, enhanced his reputation by his involvement in the welfare of the wounded soldiers in the war. His reputation was already assured as he had also worked to alleviate the suffering of the Irish poor in the Great Irish Famine (1845–1849)‚ and towards their relief, he contributed a penny for every copy sold of his pamphlet 'The Poor Man's Regenerator' (pub; 1847). During the Crimean War‚ Soyer went to the Crimea at his own expense to advise the army on cooking more nutritious and healthy food. Later he was paid his expenses and wages equivalent to those of a Brigadier-General. In the North Wales Chronicle of Saturday May 5th 1855, in a quite full account written by Soyer himself and sent to the paper, we learn that he opened his large kitchen on the site of a previous Turkish kitchen, on Easter Monday at the huge Barrack Hospital in Scutari. Present was a number of Ladies and Gentlemen who tasted the new diet, compared to dishes alongside of the old diet. It was a huge success. In the article, Soyer expresses a fulsome gratitude to Florence Nightingale for her good organisational skills and help in providing him with all the materials he needed to start the Kitchen. (It is recorded elsewhere however, that she did not much appreciate Soyer and his efforts, openly criticising him). Soyer's work was very successful; it started to save countless lives that otherwise, before his efforts, would have been lost. The mortality rate alone at Scutari's Barrack Hospital was 100 soldiers and upwards daily. An unimaginable toll. Florence Nightingale's well documented, heroic nursing standards were not enough. However much Nightingale was put out by the flamboyant Soyer, the pragmatic synergy between their differing aspects of care; medical combined with a nutritious balanced diet was crucial. In the "Memoirs of Soyer" written and published 1859, by his two secretaries, F.Volant & J.R.Warren, they inform us that the death rate was putting such a strain on the hospital staff, that the bodies were just rolled up in their bed blankets and buried in mass pits. Soyer also provided the new diet at Balaclava, and at three institutions at Kullalee, and was very well supported there by Lady Stafford, having been previously interviewed about his Catering needs by her husband, Lord Stafford. At that time also, Soyer was waiting for his soon-to-be-famous new model camp-stove which was capable of cooking continuously for 200 soldiers every three hours. One can only imagine the magnitude of effort there. Soyer himself did not escape unscathed. His two secretaries also write that Soyer himself, due to overwork, fever and severe dysentery over a long period of time nearly died. Interestingly, he was saved by the intelligent ministrations of a very young 21 year old doctor, Mr Ambler. Despite, at first, large misgivings about the young Dr Ambler, he quickly revived Soyer with a diet of iced drinks, a little solid food and a daily quantity of eggs beaten up with port wine. For the rest of his time in the Crimea, the young doctor became a very good friend and companion to an extremely grateful Soyer. Finally, at the end of the Welsh newspaper article is a wonderful praising statement by Brigadier General, Commanding Troops - W. Pauley, where he fully approves of the way Soyer has taken the usual provisions, re-arranged the proportions and made such a difference with the simple act of cooking. As all Soyer’s personal papers were burned just after his death, then this extremely rare and pertinent letter, could only have come from the aforementioned Mr Cromme’s extant estate.

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Ephemera category

ref number: 11244

Raffald. Elizabeth - A signed copy of the rare first.
The Experienced English Housekeeper,
For the Use and Ease of Ladies, House-keepers, Cooks etc. Wrote purely from PRACTICE, And dedicated to the Hon. Lady ELIZABETH WARBURTON, Whom the Author lately served as House-keeper. Consisting of near 800 Original Receipts, most of which never appeared in Print. PART FIRST, Lemon Pickle, Browning for all Sorts of Made Dishes, Soups, Fish, plain Meat, Game Made Dishes both hot and cold, Pyes, Puddings etc, PART SECOND, All Kind of Confectionary, particularly the Gold and Silver Web for covering of Sweetmeats, and a Desert of Spun Sugar, with Directions to set out a Table in the most elegant Manner and in the modern Taste, Floating Islands, Fish Ponds, Transparent Puddings, Trifles, Whips, etc. PART THIRD, Pickling, Potting, and Collaring, Wines, Vi-negars, Catchups, Distilling, with most valuable Receipts, one for refining Malt Liquors, the other for curing Acid Wines, and a correct List of every Thing in Season in every Month of the Year. By ELIZABETH RAFFALD. MANCHESTER: St Paul's Church-yard, London; and by Eliz. Raffald, Confectioner, near the Exchange, Manchester, 1769. The Book to be signed by the Author's own Hand-writing, and entered at Stationers Hall.
FIRST EDITION. 8vo. 1fep. title page. [1] p2. Dedication. 1-111. To the Reader. [1] [1] 2-360. One engraved folding plate showing tale settings. 361-362. Directions for a Grand Table. 2nd engraved folding plate showing table settings. 1-X1. Index. 1fep. Full original contemporary dark brown calf. The spine has been re-bound with raised bands and gilt lines. Internally lightly browned throughout. A fair copy of the very rare first edition.
- As stated in the title page, this book is signed 'Eliz. Raffald' in ink on page one. The English Housekeeper was published in twelve editions and at least thirty impressions. Elizabeth Whittaker Raffald (1733-81) was after Hannah Glasse, the most celebrated English cookery writer of the 18th century. She was employed for fifteen years as Housekeeper to Lady Elizabeth Warburton of Arley Hall, Cheshire, to whom she dedicates her book. She sold all the rights to her book to a London publisher for £600.oo. Ironically, substantially less in today's money for one copy of the first edition. Many key authors of this time signed their books as a true distinction that set them clearly apart from other pirated copies. This is one such copy.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10984

W. M. - The great 17th century Royal classic.
The Queens Closet OPENED.
BEING Incomparable Secrets in Physick, Chyrurgery, Preserving, and Candying, &c. Which were presented to the QUEEN By the most experienc'd Persons of the times, many whereof were had in Esteem when she pleased to descend to private Recreations. The Tenth Edition, Corrected, with many new and large additions; together with Three exact Tables. Vivit post Funera Virtus. LONDON, Printed for E.Blagrave, and are to be sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster, 1696. Bound with -- A QUEENS Delight:-- OR, The Art of Preserving, Conserving, and Candying. As also, A right Knowledge of making Perfumes, and Distilling the most excellent Waters. LONDON Printed in the Year 1696. Bound with -- The Compleat COOK:-- Expertly Prescribing The most ready Ways, whether Italian, Spanish or French, FOR Dressing of Flesh and Fish, Ordering of Sauces, Or making of PASTRY. LONDON. Printed in the Year 1695.
12mo. 2feps.[1] Frontispiece of Henrietta Maria. Title Page.[1] 2p Preface. 4p Approvers Names. 1-163. 5p 'The Table' - THE 2ND PART; Title Page 'A Queens Delight'.[1] 171-264. 4p The Table. - THE 3RD PART; Title Page 'The Complete Cook'.[1] 271-401. 8p The Table.[1] 2feps. Fully Bound in contemporary dark brown calf with original boards and gilt tooled borders. Re-backed spine with gilt tooling, raised bands, and a red label with gilt lettering. Very clean internally, with minimal ageing to pages. Considering it is over 300 years old, a very scarce item in this fine condition.
- Henrietta Maria, Born 25 November 1609, was Princess of France and Queen Consort of England, Scotland and Ireland (13 June 1625 – 30 January 1649) through her marriage to Charles I. She was the mother of two kings, Charles II and James II, and was grandmother to Mary II, William III, and Queen Anne. The often hated catholic wife of King Charles 1 was well acquainted with a number of natural philosophers/scientists, including John Evelyn, Kenelm Digby, the physician Theodore Turquet de Mayerne, the mathematician John Pell and the apothecary John Parkinson. Drawing together the work of these men and other members of the queen’s household, Henrietta Maria’s name is associated with one of the most successful publications of the seventeenth century: ‘The Queens Closet Opened,’ first published in 1655. With various corrections and additions, it went into at least eighteen editions in the seventeenth century alone, and was further reprinted in the 18th century. It was in three parts, ‘The Pearl of Practise’ (remedies), ‘A Queens Delight’ (confectionery), and ‘The Compleat Cook’ (cookery). In the Preface, the presenter, W. M., informed the public that these were Henrietta Maria’s own receipts: Who is W.M.? In her fascinating article online, Jane Archer, of the University of Warwick, puts forward some compelling facts to support the theory that,----- ‘W. M.’ would have been instantly identifiable as Walter Montagu[e] (c.1603-1677), perhaps the closest and most loyal of Henrietta Maria’s ‘late servants’. A Catholic, an exile, a published author, a loyal servant who ‘fell with the Court’, and a secretary ---‘ Jane archer elaborates ‘---The precise facts of Montagu’s life are sketchy, but it is clear that he served Henrietta Maria as secretary and spy, a keeper and discoverer of secrets. The second son of the Earl of Manchester and a protégé of the Duke of Buckingham, Montagu first met Henrietta Maria in 1624, when he was sent on a secret mission to France to prepare the way for marriage negotiations. Following Buckingham’s assassination in 1628, Montagu established himself as a leading member of the Queen’s court at Denmark House. During the 1630s, he influenced the religious, political, cultural and philosophical life of Henrietta Maria’s household. Following his conversion to Catholicism in 1635, Montagu encouraged the Queen to take a more active role in propagating the Catholic faith in England ----‘ (because of this pushing of the Catholic faith, she become a hated figure, and her portrait as frontispiece to the ‘Closet Opened’ was often torn out. This is why many copies now lack the unique engraving) -----‘Montagu spent these years supervising the publication of his writings (some of which had previously circulated in manuscripts) in England. A brief scan of the dates of Montagu’s publications (1648, 1649, 1656 and 1660) reveals that he was in close and frequent contact with London publishers during the period when The Queens Closet Opened was first published.’ Archer further states ---‘ Indeed, if Montagu can be identified with ‘W. M.’, then it is tempting to interpret the publication of The Queens Closet Opened as a continuation of his work as loyal secretary to Henrietta Maria. An important aspect of the work of a secretary. ----‘ Due to failing health Henrietta Maria returned to her native France on the 24th June 1665, and lived the remainder of her life there. She died on 9th September 1669 at Colombes, near Paris. She was buried in St. Denis with the exception of her heart which was separately interred at Chaillot in a silver casket bearing the inscription; “Henrietta Maria, Queen of England, France, Scotland and Ireland, daughter of the King of France Henry IV the Victorious, wife of Charles I the Martyr and mother of the restored Charles II”. By any standards; a unique life and a unique book.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10920

May. Robert - An important 17th century cookery book
THe Accomplisht Cook,
OR THE Art and Mystery OF COOKERY Wherein the whole ART is revealed in a more easie and perfect Method, than hath been publisht in any language. Expert and ready Ways for the Dressing of all sorts of FLESH, FOWL, and FISH, with variety of SAUCES proper for each of them; and how to raise all manner of Pastes; the best Directions for all sorts of Kickshaws, also the Terms of CARVING and SEWING. An exact of all Dishes for all Seasons of the Year, with other Al-a-Mode Curiosities. The Fourth Edition, with large Additions throughout the whole work: besides two hundred Figures of several Forms for all manner of bak'd Meats, (either Flesh or Fish) as Pyes, Tarts, Custards, Cheesecakes and Florentines, placed in Tables, and directed to the Pages yhey pertain to. Approved by the Fifty Five years Experience and Industry of ROBERT MAY, in his Attendance of several parsons of great Honour. London, Printed for Obadiah Blagrave at the Bear in St. Pauls Church-Yard, near the Little North Door. 1678.
8vo. 1fep. [1] Frontispiece. Title page with single line border. 2pp. The Epistle Dedicatory. 4pp. The Preface. 3pp. Authors Life. 5pp. Triumphs and Trophies. 8pp. Of Carving and Sewing. 6pp. Bills of Fare. 1-461. 10pp. The Table. 1p. Books Printed. 1fep. The four plates are present; 2 have been expertly repaired without loss but with some browning at the folds. Internally very clean with numerous woodcut illustrations in the text. Contemporary full dark brown calf boards with nice patina. Sometime very sympathetically re-backed spine with raised bands, blind tooling and gilt lettering. A very nice copy and extremely scarce in the complete state.
- Other Editions are; 1660 (1st) 1665 (2nd) 1671 (3rd) of which there are 2 imprints. 1678 (3rd & 4th) 1685 (5th) As a Frontis there is a portrait of May with 'AEatis Suae 71, 1660' in the background and beneath are the lines "What! wouldst thou view but in one face -- all hospitalitie the race -- of those for the Gusto stand, -- whose tables a whole Ark comand -- of Nature's plentie, wouldst thou see -- this sight, peruse May's booke, tis hee. -- Ja. Parry. For Nathaniell Brooke, at the Angell in Cornhill: There are two poems at the beginning in May's honour, and a story of his life which mentions that he was the son of a cook and he was trained in France. This training accounts for his giving nine recipes for preparing snails and one for baking Frogs. In the Preface May says that "God and my own conscience would not permit me to bury these my experiences in the Grave" and that 'The Queens Closet Opened' was the only book comparable to his own. May's "Accomplisht Cook' is one of the great 17th century cookery books and one of the cornerstones of a good comprehensive cookery book collection. It is the record of a professional cook of that time. It is a well laid out book covering all aspects of the contemporary kitchen. In some editions there are two very large plates which unfold. This edition (and most others I have seen) has the two large plates separated into four. The great Stuart Classic.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10965

Carter. Charles Carter's monumental work.
The Complete Practical COOK
Or, A NEW SYSTEM Of the Whole Art and Mystery of COOKERY. Being a Select Collection od Above Five Hundred RECIPES for Dressing, after the most Curious and Elegant Manner (as well FOREIGN as ENGLISH) all Kinds of Flesh, Fish, fowl, &c. [a single thin line] FITTED FOR ALL OCASIONS: But more especially for the most Grand and Sumptuous Entertainments. [a single thin line] [a single thin line] Adorned with Sixty curious Copper Plates; Exhibiting the full Seasons of the Year, and Tables proper for Every Month; As also Variety of large Ovals and Rounds, and Ambogues and Square Tables for Coronation-Feasts, Instalments, &c. [a single thin line] The Whole intirely [sic] New; And none of the RECIPES ever published in any Treatise of this Kind. . [a single thin line] Approved by divers of the Prime Nobility; And by several Masters of the Art and Mystery of Cookery. [a single thin line] By CHARLES CARTER, Lately cook to his Grace the Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Pontefract, the Lord Cornwallis, &c. . [a single thin line] LONDON: Printed for W. Meadows, in Cornhill; C. Rivington, in St. Paul's Church-Yard; and R. Hett, in the Poultry. M.DCC.XXX.
FIRST AND SOLE EDITION. 4to. 255 x 202 mm.2 feps. Title page, printed in red and black. [1] Dedication page. [1] 10 pages To the Reader. [1] (1)2-208. 209 - 212 Terms of Art. (1)214 - 224 The Contents. 60 engraved plates, 3 folding. Spectacular fold-out contains dishes for King George II Coronation dinner. Some foxing to edges, but otherwise nice and clean. The edges of the text block nicely speckled. Full tan calf with spine and boards tooled in gilt. Spine with raised bands and red morocco label in gilt. Rebound by Chris Lewis of Bath, formerly a binder at Bayntun-Riviere. From the estate of Dan Samuel, 4th Viscount Samuel (1925-2014), grandson of Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel, High Commissioner of Palestine (1920-1925). A very good copy.
- Sam Bilton wrote online, the following article about Charles Carter and his book; The Complete Practical Cook. Her acute observations are worth re-printing here in their entirety: " Long before chefs began coveting stars, their reputations were built on the social standing of their patron. The bigger the ‘nob’ you worked for, the more prestige your position as a chef held in the 18th century. Charles Carter’s patrons included the Duke of Argyll, General Wood and several lords. He had the advantage of having worked in several European countries where he had been exposed to a wider variety of flavours (like garlic) than many of his English counterparts. He was very proud of his achievements and doesn’t shy away from telling the reader so in the introduction. Despite his lack of modesty, a lot of what Carter says still holds true today. He believes cookery is an art and that good cooks should be rewarded for their skill. He is highly critical of unscrupulous cooks who pass off the work of others as their own. He even starts the book by extolling the virtues of a good stock, a maxim which is as true now as it was in the 18th century. The recipes are very much of their time, with many meat-based dishes beloved by his wealthy benefactors. Nose to tail eating was definitely the order of the day. The recipe for 'Olio Podred'a (a type of Spanish stew) contains 11 breeds of bird including pheasants, ducks and larks plus beef, pork, veal and mutton, not to mention hogs ears, trotters, sausages and ham. The dish is served with a ragout of pallets, sweetbreads, lamb stones, cockscombs and a hefty dose of truffles. You get the meat sweats just by reading the recipe. A few recipes, like 'To Pot Otter' ', Badger or Young Bea'r, are decidedly odd and are likely to offend some 21st century sensibilities. However, others like 'Buttered Crab' ' Eggs à la Switz' (a spiced-up version of eggs florentine), 'Pike Babacu’d' or 'Beef la Tremblour' (slow cooked rump or sirloin, till it is so tender that it will tremble or shake like a quaking pudding) sound reassuringly familiar once you get past the archaic language. Some like 'Tamarind Tort' or 'Caraway Cakes' are crying out to be rediscovered by a modern audience. Unlike modern cookery books there is no strict division between savoury and sweet dishes reflecting the way meals were served 'à la francaise'. Carter even provides a large number of diagrams at the back of the book with suggestions for different dinners according to the season or occasion. (One of the folding plates measures a whopping 500mm long. See image #6 below) Clearly for the 21st century cook, this is far from a practical book. The recipes are designed to cater for large households so inevitably require scaling down. Some of the ingredients he uses, like 'eringo roots' (candied sea holly roots) or 'ambergris' (whale vomit) are difficult to come by or are best avoided. Carter claims this book will make cooks more inventive and a certain degree of ingenuity is required to make these recipes work today. If you have any interest in England’s culinary heritage it’s worth persevering with The Complete Practical Cook if for no other reason than to prevent it from being forgotten". [From the 'Cookbook Review' blog online]. Oxford p.61. Cagle p.592. Bitting p.77. Axford p.75. MacLean p.23.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10981

Lamb. Patrick - First edition - first issue - 1710.
Royal Cookery; or, the Complete Court-Cook.
CONTAINING THE Choicest Receipts in all the particular Branches of COOKERY, Now in Use in the Queen's PALACES OF St. James, Hampton-Court, and Kensington, Windsor.With nearly Forty Figures(curiously engraven Copper) of the magnificent Entertainments as Coronations, Istal-ments, Ball, Weddings, &c. at Court; Also Receipts for making the Soups, Jellies, Bisques, Ragoo's, Pastes, Tan-sies, Forc'd-Meats, Cakes, Puddings, &c. By PATRICK LAMB, Esq, Near 50 Years Master-Cook to their late Majesties King Charles II, King James II, King William and Queen Mary, and to Her Present Majesty Queen ANNE. To which are added, Bills of Fare for every Season in the Year. London, Printed for Abel Roper, and sold by John Morphew, near Stationers-Hall. 1710.
FIRST EDITION. 1st ISSUE. 1710. 8vo 195x125mm. 1fep. Half title. [1] Title Page. [1] 6p Preface. 4p Contents. 2p Content of Tables. (1)2-127 with 36 plates, many folding. [1] 12p Bills of Fare. 4p Advertisements. 1fep. Full contemporary dark panelled calf with blind tooled fillets on the boards. Expertly rebacked with raised bands and gilt lettering. A handsome very clean copy with a fine patina.
- There is some confusion amongst dealers, catalogue compilers and bibliographers about the issue sequence of the two first editions of 1710. One issue point asks which comes first; the Roper imprint or the other, the Aitkins imprint. Another issue point is the date that is printed on later editions on the third line of adverts at the back of the book. The copy on offer here has no date in the adverts. It has the half title; often missing and all 36 plates as called for. Confusion also exists over the plate count. Bitting cites 34, Viciare calls for 36 and Alan Davidson's copy, sold on March 24th 2011 at Bloomsbury auctions, had 35 plates, conforming with the printed 'Contents of the Tables' list. These oddities appear to constitute printer's mistakes rather than defining different editions. Patrick Lamb (1650-1708/9) began work in the royal household as a child. In 1683 he advanced to become royal cook, then in 1677 he was appointed as master cook to the queen consort, a post that he held jointly with that of office of Sergeant of His Majesty's Pastry in Ordinary, to which he was appointed in November 1677; he became Master Cook to the monarch in February 1683. Lamb's culinary skills were most famously in evidence at extraordinary events like coronations. Lamb's name is recorded in Francis Sandford's famous book 'The History of the Coronation of James II'- printed 1687. He is given a stipend of gold coins for his efforts as Master Cook to His Majesty during the Coronation feast. At the auction of the cookery book collection of Tore Wretman, sold in Southby's, London, Thursday 2 October 1997. an incomplete copy of Sandford's book was sold with a manuscript note on the fep. in Lambs handwriting and signed by him, stating: 'his copy given to him by His Majesty'. Lamb was Master-Cook to five Monarchs and his book was the most heavily illustrated English cookery book to date. Some of Lamb's contemporaries contend that this book was speculatively published under his name. ODNB remarks that the text incorporates recipes for elaborate royal dishes alongside lavish royal table layouts that suggest the text and additions were drawn from Lamb's own papers. There were new editions in 1716, 1726 and 1731. This one is a very clean and complete copy of the rare first edition. Lamb's posthumously published book (He died in 1709) is one of the most important items in any comprehensive antiquarian cookery book collection. Good copies continue to find very high prices. In April 7th 2008, a gastronomic collection assembled by Walter and Lucille Fillin and sold at the Swann Galleries, NYC, featured a first edition of Lamb's 'Royal Cookery' (the same as the copy on offer here). It was sold to the trade for $19,200.oo. According to Swann, this set an auction-price record.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11025

Plat - Kt. Sir Hugh - A rare edition with both parts presnt.
A Closet for Ladies and Gentlewomen
OR The Art of Preserving, Conserving, and Candying. With the Manner how to make divers kinds of Sirups, and all kind of banqueting stuffes.Also divers soveraigne Medi-cines and Salves for Sunday Diseases. LONDON. Printed by John Haviland. 1635. Bound with -- DELIGHTS FOR LADIES, TO ADORNE THEIR Persons, Tables, Closets, and Distillatories WITH Beauties, Banquets, Perfumes, And Waters. reade, practise, and censure. LONDON, Printed by R.Y. and are to be sold by James Boler. 1635.
12mo. Pp. Title Page with latticed border. All pages unnumbered. Fully bound in modern dark brown calf with 17th century style blind tooling on boards and spine. -- THE 2ND PART; Pp. Title page. 4 pp Epistle, a poem signed by H. Plat. 13 pp of 'The Table' all without borders. This second work is divided into four parts; The first of which is 'The Art of Preserving, Conserving, Candying etc'. Next 'Secrets in Distillation'. Next 'Cookery and Huswifery'. Finally 'Sweet Powders, Oyntments, Beauties etc'. All pages unnumbered. All text pages of both parts surrounded by intricate latticed borders. A very nice clean copy with minimal aging. The title page slightly dusty. A rare item especially in this fine condition..
- Elizabethan and Jacobean London was the home of Sir Hugh Plat (1552-1611), a gentleman of varied interests. As a Londoner trying to make his way in the world, and very much a man of his time and place, he was known as an author, alchemist, speculator and inventor whose career touched on the fields of alchemy, general scientific curiosity, cookery and sugar work, cosmetics, gardening and agriculture, food manufacture, victualling, supplies and marketing. Unlike many of his colleagues and correspondents, much of his manuscript material, in the form of notebooks and papers, has survived. Not much, however, is known of his personal life and among his manuscripts there are few letters, diaries or other private materials. Plat had such a wide range of interests that modern scholars have tended to concentrate on that aspect of his work that most affects their own research. Most recently he has fallen amongst historians of science and while they have carefully examined his written and published works they have, in some cases, interpreted almost all that he wrote as a quest for scientific knowledge, in the same way that the gardening writers thought him primarily a gardener or the cookery writers treated his cookery book as his most important work. Our interest here is definitely the latter. This edition of 1635 not in Cagle, Oxford, Bitting, Vicaire or Hazlitt. Most have the 1636 edition. The BL also lacks the 1635 edition, but the STC of Pollard & Redgrave cites the 1635 edition of both parts. Bent Juel- Jensen writing about the second part only in ‘Some Uncollected Authors XIX, The Book Collector” states -- “The reader is left in no sort of doubt about what went on in the Elizabethan kitchen, and few could put the book down without some regret for the passing of those most leisurely days. ... It is not surprising that some of these have survived in single copies only, and some have probably disappeared altogether ... Most surviving copies are pretty grubby and often incomplete.” A 1615 copy of 'DELIGHTS FOR LADIES' only, was offered at the 59th New York Book Fair for $9750.oo. This copy however is in unusually good condition and with the both parts present.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10914