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Careme. Marie Antonin - John Porter, editor
The Royal Parisian Pastry Cook
AND CONFECTIONER: FROM THE ORIGINAL OF M. A. CAREME, OF PARIS. EDITED BY JOHN PORTER, FORMERLY COOK TO THE MARQUIS CAMDEN, SUBSEQUENTLY AT THE SENIOR UNITED SERVICE AND TRAVELLERS' CLUBS, AND NOW AT THE ORIENTAL. WITH ILLUSTRATIVE PLATES. LONDON: F. J. MASON, 444, WEST STRAND. M.DCCC.XXXIV.
FIRST AND SOLE EDITION. 1834. 8vo. 2 feps. Half Title. Frontispiece. Title Page (with previous owners inscription at the top of the page). [1] 1p. 'Advertisement. [1] (2-394) including 22pp 'Index' Including 9 plates illustrating Careme's 'Pieces Montees'. (7 folding) Plate 8 is the Frontis and Plate 9 is mis-bound. Fully bound in modern black calf with blind tooling on boards. Spine with raised bands, blind tooling, 2 Black leather labels with gilt lettering, gilt lines and gilt dots. The date of 1834 in gilt in the bottom compartment. Text block untrimmed and very clean, almost as new. Extremely scarce.
- This is John Porter's English translation of Careme's 'Le Patissier Royal'. In William Hall's other English translation of Careme's books, (1936) Hall, in his preface, draws attention to this volume by Porter that appeared in print two years earlier than his book. He takes care to distance himself from this translation, saying; "I am content to allow this [my] translation to rest on its own merits" This statement is warranted, as Hall's work is a translation of three of Careme's books with 76 true facsimiles of the original 'Pieces Montees' plates, while this one by Porter is a translation of just one of Careme's six major published works, with only 7 plates. It is a somewhat lesser book than Hall's, but as interesting and still an important addition to any cookery book collection. It is also as rare as Hall's.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10951

Piedmontese. Alessio [Girolamo Ruscello] - A medieval classic.
The Secrets of Alexis:
CONTAINING MANY EXCELLENT REMEDIES AGAINST DIVERS DISEASES, wounds, and other Accidents. With the maner to make Distillations, Parfumes, Confritures, Dying, Colours, Fusions, and Meltings. A worke well approved, very necessarie for every man. Newly corrected and amended, and also somewhat more enlarged in certaine places, which wanted in the former Editions. Lonodn, Printed by William Stansby for Richard Meighen and Thomas Iones, and are to be sold at their shop with-out Temple-barre under S. Clements Church. 1615.
4to. 180x145mm. 3feps (with 2 19th-cent. ink inscriptions on recto, one being from J.Osbourn Francis) Title page. [1] 6pp The Epistle to Francis, Lord Russel, Earle of Bedford. 4pp To the Reader. Unusual pagination; recto with number, verso unnumbered -- (1) 2-348 (698 pages) Lacking 259-290 including title to the fourth part. 28pp The Table. 3feps. Some mild age browning throughout, with the title and last pages a little darker. Printed mainly in black letter. Some pencil markings in the margins, Five early English MS marginalia discussing recipes. Bound in 19th-cent. marled boards with the page edges marbled to match. Sympathetically rebacked in dark brown smooth calf with gilt lines and red morocco gilt label. Overall a very good copy of an early book.
- Alessio Piemontese, also known under his latinized name of Alexius Pedemontanus, was the pseudonym of Girolamo Ruscelli, a 16th century Italian physician, alchemist, humanist and cartographer, who was born in Viterbo around 1504 and died in Venice, 1566, and the author of this immensely popular book, 'The Secrets of Master Alexis of Piedmont'. This work is in five parts, parts 2-3 have separate dated title pages (and the fourth when present); the fifth part has a caption title; foliation and register are continuous. The title pages to the second, third and fourth parts bear the imprint "Printed at London by W. Stansby, anno Dom. 1614." The first three parts were first published separately in an English translation, beginning in 1559 and the four parts were first published together in English in 1595. Our edition contains an additional fifth part attributed in the title to "Mayster Alexis of Piemont" but not found in the original Italian editions nor the English edition of 1595 It continued to be published in more than a hundred editions and was still being reprinted in the 1790s. As well as English, the work was translated into Latin, German, Spanish, French, and Polish. It unleashed a torrent of 'books of secrets' that continued to be published down through the eighteenth century. Alessio was the prototypical professor of secrets. His description of his hunt for secrets in the preface to the 'Secreti' helped to give rise to a legend of the wandering empiric who dedicated his life to the search for natural and technological secrets. The book contributed to the emergence of the concept of science as a hunt for the secrets of nature, which pervaded experimental science during the period of the Scientific Revolution. In a later work, Ruscelli reported that the Secreti contained the experimental results of an ‘Academy of Secrets’ that he and a group of humanists and noblemen founded in Naples in the 1540s. Ruscelli’s academy is the first recorded example of an experimental scientific society. First published in Venice in 1555 as the famous title 'De secreti del Reverendo Donno Alessio Piedmontese' , it helped to shape Giambattista Della Porta's famous 'Magia Naturalis' of 1558 and Isabella Crtese's 'Secreti' of 1564. -- Duveen, Bibliotheca Alchemica et Chemica, pages 15-17; Krivatsy, 17th Century Books in the National Library of Medicine, page 21, No. 209; Wellcome Library, Volume I, page 9, No. 188.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11085

Kitchiner. Dr William - The least known of Kitchiner's books.
THE SHILLING KITCHINER
OR ORACLE OF COOKERY FOR THE MILLION WITH DR. KITCHINER'S CELEBRATED ADVICE TO COOKS AND OTHER SERVANTS BY THE EDITORS OF "THE DICTIONARY OF DAILY WANTS" LONDON HOULSTON AND WRIGHT 65, PATERNOSTER ROW. MDCCCLXI
FIRST AND SOLE EDITION 1861. 110 X 174mm. 1fep modern. Frontispiece missing. Title page with chipped edges wrapped in tissue guard; no text loss. Verso with printer's info. (1)2-188. (1)190-196 Index; all pages with chipped edges wrapped in tissue guard; no text loss. 1p Advertisements with chipped edges wrapped in tissue guard; no text loss. 2feps modern. All pages slightly browned throughout. pages 131-196 with a small brown stain on bottom outer corners. Modern half tan morocco with marbled boards and morocco tips. Spine with raised bands and gilt tooling in the compartments. Red label with gilt lines and writing.
- Kitchiner's who passed away in 1827 could not have written this book that eventually got published in 1861. The well known maitre chef de cuisine of the Reform Club - Alexis Soyer, had his famous little book 'A Shilling Cookery for the People' published first in 1855. This book of Kitchener's is his least known but well within character, as he was famous for not only his generosity but also his frugality. It appears to be a possible compilation of Kitchener's papers by the editors. There are no entries in Cagle, Bitting, Attar, Lehman, Hazlitt nor Pennell. Although Quayle devotes twelve pages to Kitchiner, his books and recipes, there is no mention of this title. A fine detailed recipe book with advice and household hints for the less well off. Unlike Soyer's 'Shilling Cookery for the People" which had numerous print runs and can still be found quite regularly in various auctions this Kitchener title does not. Due to the scarcity of copies appearing on the market, it must be considered very scarce to rare.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11100

Kitchener. Dr. William A rare copy in the original state.
THE SHILLING KITCHINER
OR ORACLE OF COOKERY FOR THE MILLION WITH DR. KITCHINER'S CELEBRATED ADVICE TO COOKS AND OTHER SERVANTS BY THE EDITORS OF "THE DICTIONARY OF DAILY WANTS" LONDON HOULSTON AND WRIGHT 65, PATERNOSTER ROW. MDCCCLXI
FIRST AND SOLE EDITION 1861. 110 X 174mm. Adverts on inside cover & fep. Frontispiece of elaborate dinner for 16 pax. Title page. Verso with printer's info. (1)2-188. (1)190-196 Index. 1p advertisements also adverts on inside cover. All pages bright and fresh. The front and back covers in the original attractive pink cloth in excellent condition. With the same handsome design on both sides. The original spine missing but all holding well. Housed for preservation in a modern clam-shell box with quarter dark brown leather and tips. The spine with two orange labels and gilt lettering. The sides with dark brown cloth. The interior in orange felt cloth. In fine original state.
- This least known of Kitchener's books on cookery published on 1861, is a mystery. He died on 1827. The publishers of 'The Dictionary of Daily Wants' 1859 must have had access to his papers. It's also clear, because of the distinct title, that the editors of 'Daily Wants' wanted to make the most of the phenomenal popularity of Soyer's 'Shilling Cookery for the People'. There is no doubt after reading it that Kitchener's sentiments and style are apparent. This handsome copy in fine condition (albeit with the spine cover missing) is very rare.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11301

Sala. George Augustus - With a brief note signed by G.A. Sala
The Thorough Good Cook
A SERIES OF NOTES ON THE CULINARY ART AND NINE HUNDRED RECIPES BY GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA. CASSELL AND COMPANY, Limited LONDON, PARIS & MELBOURNE 1895 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FIRST AND SOLE ENGLISH EDITION. 210x172mm. Paste-down and fep in designed paper. On verso of fep: a tipped-in note on Reform Club embossed paper stating "Reform Club: Thursday. Dr Sir a line to say that I shall be duly with you a little before 8. Faithfully Yours G.A. Sala. (underlined) The Rev. T. Shore." Half Title. Verso advertisement for Sala's books. Title Page. Verso with a small illustrated device titled 'Belle Sauvage'. (1)vi-viii Preface 1. (1)x-xiii Preface 11. (1)xv-xvii Preface 111. 2p Contents. [1] (1)2-467. [1] (1)470-492 Index. Fep and paste-down in designed paper. The fine tooled and embossed original cover with gilt still in very good condition but the spine and the back edge of covers are sunned. All edges gilt. Internally very clean and in very good condition. An uncommon book especially with the autographed note.
- George Augustus Sala, (see 1st photo below) the youngest son of Augustus Sala (1792-1828) and Henrietta Simon (1789-1860), was born on 24th November, 1828. After the death of his father, George's mother supported herself and five surviving children by teaching singing and giving annual concerts in London and Brighton. Educated at the Pestalozzian school at Turnham Green, Sala left at fifteen to become a clerk. Later he found work drawing railway plans during the Railway Mania of 1845. A talented artist, Sala also worked as a scene-painter at the Lyceum Theatre and in 1848 was commissioned to illustrate Albert Smith's 'The Man in the Moon'. This was followed by an illustrated guidebook for foreign tourists that was published by Rudolf Ackermann. Other work included prints of the Great Exhibition and the funeral of the Duke of Wellington. Sala was also interested in becoming a journalist and in 1851 Charles Dickens accepted his article, 'The Key of the Street', for his journal, 'Household Words'. This was the first of many of Sala's articles that Dickens published over the next few years. In April, 1856, Dickens sent Sala to Russia as the journal's special correspondent. He also contributed to the author's next venture, 'All the Year Round' and other journals such as the 'London Illustrated News', 'Punch Magazine' and 'Cornhill Magazine'. In 1857, Sala began writing for the 'Daily Telegraph'. For the next twenty-five years he contributed an average of ten articles a week. Although paid £2,000 a year for his work, Sala, who was an avid collector of rare books and expensive china, was always in debt. Sala loved traveling and in 1863 accepted the offer of becoming the Telegraph's foreign correspondent. Over the next few years he reported on wars and uprisings all over the world. During the Franco-German War he was arrested in Paris as a spy but was eventually released from prison. He wrote several books based on his travels including 'From Waterloo to the Peninsula' (1867), 'Rome and Venice' (1869), 'Paris' (1880), 'America Revisited' (1882), 'A Journey Due South' (1885) and 'Right Round the World' (1888). After leaving the Daily Telegraph Sala moved to Brighton where he attempted to start his own periodical, 'Sala's Journal'. The venture failed and left him deeply in debt and in early 1895 he was forced to sell his large library of 13,000 books. George Augustus Sala died at Brighton on 8th December, 1895. In an email I received from Linda Gifkins, she kindly informed me of a hitherto unknown edition of 'The Thorough Good Cook' printed by Brentano's - New York, Chicago, Paris, & Washington in 1896. Sala was twice married. His first wife, Harriet, whom he married in September 1859, died at Melbourne in December 1885. In 1891 he married a second wife, Bessie, third daughter of Robert Stannard, C.E., who survived him. Sala was a great friend of Alexis Soyer and was a member of the Reform Club whilst Soyer was the Chef de Cuisine there.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11144

Partridge. John - Extremely rare.
THE TREASURY OF Hidden Secrets,
Commonly called, The Good-huswives Closet of provision, for the health of her Household. Gathered out of sundry experiments, lately practised by men of great knowledge: And now newly inlarged with divers necessary Physick helps, and knowledge of the names and disposition of diseases, that most commonly happen to Men and Women. Not imeprtinant for every good Huswife to us ein her House, amongst her own Family. [Printers woodcut device] LONDON, Printed by Jane Bell, and to be sold at the East-end of Christ-Church, 1653.
Quarto, A-I in 4's. 1fep. Title page. [1] A2 - FINIS. [Total pp 63] 3p The Table. 1fep. Original full dark brown calf. Blind tooled border line to boards. Spine with gilt lines and lettering re-laid. Pages are age browned with browning to edges. Text in black letter. Top of one leaf restored without loss. A good copy of an extremely rare book.
- John Partridge was an Elizabethan author of historical poem-romance. The earthy, mundane cookbook was an unusual transgression from the norm. His book, the ‘Treasury of Hidden Secrets’ was a popular 16th and early 17th century English handbook of cookery, herbals, and medicine. First published around 1573, it was printed in London by Richard Jones, and gives John Partridge as the author. It was frequently reprinted for over 75 years; the present volume is that of the 1653 edition printed by Jane Bell. The earliest extant copy of the book is the 1573 edition. Its title was ‘The Treasurie of Commodious Conceits & Hidden Secrets’, reprinted in 1584, again by Jones, the title-page advertised it as 'now the fourth time corrected, and inlarged,' The Elizabethan printer might have been exclusively a printer, or both bookseller and printer; but booksellers were not necessarily printers. Both printers and booksellers in London were tightly controlled, licensed, censored, and fined for violations. Some copies note that Jones’s 1584 printing was 'at Eliot’s Court Press for Henry Car,' suggesting Car as a bookseller who helped to finance the printing. When the book was reprinted in 1591, Richard Jones is now located ‘at the Rose and Crowne neere Holborne bridge.’ The Bodleian’s bibliographic record suggests J. Charlewood as the 1591 printer. Jones is again given as printer for the 1596 edition. The book was again reprinted in 1608. This seems to be the latest date that the name John Partridge occurs in the text; subsequent editions are published anonymously. The next reprint was in 1627, from a new bookseller and printer; the book was ‘Printed [by Eliot’s Court Press] for E.B[rewster] and R.B[yrd], and are to be sold at the ‘signe of the Bible in Cheapside.’ By 1627 the phrase, ‘Commodious Conceits’ had dropped out of the title and the title page identifies it as ‘The Treasurie of Hidden Secrets.’ In 1633 it was first printed by a woman ‘Elizabeth All-de dwelling neere Christs-church.’ Elizabeth was the widow of Edward All-de, a typical London printer whose father, John, was also a printer and whose work and style was well known. In 1637 ‘Treasury’ was ‘printed by Richard Oulton, dwelling neere Christs-church.’ As McKerrow (genealogy resources) suggest that Allde died in 1628, Richard Oulton may have taken over the press from his widow by 1637. Finally, ‘Treasury’ was last reprinted in 1653 'by Jane Bell and to be sold at the East end of Christ-church.' Originals of the 1573 printing are held by the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Henry E. Huntington Library. The only other work attributed to John Partridge is the cookery-medicine book called ‘The Widowes Treasure'. Partridge borrowed from a friend a copy of a household book written for the private use of ‘a gentlewoman in the country’, and decided it was his duty to publish it in 1585 under the title, 'The Widowes Treasure'. Copies of both Partridge's books are extremely rare, with none at auction since 1926. The BL only locates two other copies of the 1653 edition of ‘Treasury of Hidden Secrets’, one in the UK, and one in the US.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11023

Hartman. George - Sir Kenelm Digby's former Steward.
The True Preserver Of Health
BEING A CHOICE COLLECTION OF Select and Experienced REMEDIES for all Distempers incident to Men, Women, and Children. Selected from, and Experienced by the most Faamous Physicians and Chyrurgions of Europe. TOGETHER WITH Excellent DIRECTIONS for COOKERY; AS ALSO FOR PRESERVING, and CONSERVING, and making all sorts of METHEGLIN, SIDER, CHERRY-WINE, &c. WITH THE Description of an Ingenious and Useful ENGIN for Dressing of Meat, and for Distilling the Choicest Cordial Waters without Wood, Coals, Candle, or Oyl. THE SECOND EDITION WITH ADDITIONS. Published for the Publick-Good by G. Hartman, Chymist. London: Printed for A. and F. Churchill, at the Black-Swan in Pater-Noster-Row. 1695.- Bound With: EXCELLENT DIRECTIONS FOR COOKERY; TOGETHER WITH The Description of an Useful ENGIN serving for the fame; and likewise for Distilling the Choicest and Best Cordial Waters AS ALSO SELECT RECEIPTS FOR PRESERVING, CONSERVING, and CANDYING,&c. WITH A COLLECTION Of the Choicest Receipts for making of METHEGLIN, SIDER, CHERRY-WINE,&c. THE SECOND PART. LONDON, Printed by T.B. for G. Hartman Chymist. 1682.
FIRST EDITION. 12mo. Pp. Title Page. 6pp Epistle. 7pp Index. (1-352) Fully Bound in dark brown calf with original boards and blind tooled borders. Original Spine with raised bands and red label with gilt lettering.-2ND PART; Pp. Title Page. (3-80) Engraved picture of 'Distillery Engine' 32 pp 'Select Receipts' Internally very clean with minimal aging to pages, with some pages a little more brown due to paper quality. Title page has a small brown stain that does not affect overall. An extremely scarce book.
- George Hartman was the steward and assistant to Sir Kenelme Digby. He published in 1669, from a compilation of Digby's notes, 'The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digby KT. Opened' One of the most important cookery books of the seventeenth century and considered an excellent source of period recipes, particularly for beverages such as mead. Sir Kenelme Digby died on June 11, 1665. Hartman then published the first edition of this work 'The True Preserver' in 1682.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10921

Anon. - Rare; one of the first dedicated to sweetmaking.
The True Way
OF Preserving and Candying, AND Making Several Sorts OF Sweet-Meats, According to the Best and Truest Manner, Made Publick for the Benifit of all English Ladies and Gentlewoman; especially for my Scholars. LONDON, Printed for the Author, in the Year, MDCXCV.
The second edition 1695. 12vo. 1fep. Title page. 4p The Epistle Directory. 7-154. 6p The Contents. 1fep. Full contemporary dark brown calf with gilt lines and fillets on the boards. Spine with raised bands, gilt lines with a red label and gilt lettering. Text block uniformly but lightly age browned though-out. The last page has three light brown strips from previous old sellotape. Text not affected.
- There is a surprising similarity between this anonymous work, 'The True Way' and the two books bound in one volume, “Young Cooks Monitor of 1705 and Mary Tillinghast’s “Rare and Excellent Receipts” 1678. (see item # 10960 on this site under 'Tillinghast') The three books and receipts are remarkably similar with the three Title pages all proclaiming they are; "Made Publick for the Use and Benefit of my Scholars". The Epistle Directories of both books have the same similar statement addressed to her Scholars. (There is no Epistle Directory in Tillinghast's book). The 'True Way' does not have any indication of authorship, while the 'Cook's Monitor' has M.H. after the preface. This compiler suggests that Mary Tillinghast is the maiden name of the M.H. of the 'Young Cooks Monitor', and that sometime after writing/publishing her 'Excellent Receipts' in 1678, Tillinghast married and assumed her married initials of M.H. while keeping the authorship of 'The True Way' anonymous. At this point in time there is probably no way to prove this theory, but the startling similarities between the three works (bound in two volumes) are too evident to ignore. The BL holds two copies of 'The True Way', a first of 1681 and one copy of the 1695. A first edition of 1681, was sold from the John Lyle Collection at Bloomsbury Auctions, on June 2003. Lyle describes the 1st edition as 'extremely rare'. This edition not found in Vicaire, Oxford or Bitting. Wing locates copies in Leeds Brotherton, Clark Lib.in LA and NY Pub. Lib. One complete copy sold at Sotheby's in the Crahan collection at NY on Nov.18th 1986, but none recorded at auction in any other major collection. This one must also be considered rare.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10962

Collingwood. F. and Woolams. J. - Purchased in India during the British Raj
THE UNIVERSAL COOK,
AND City and Country Housekeeper. CONTAINING ALL THE VARIOUS BRANCHES OF COOKERY: THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF DRESSING Butchers Meat, Poultry, Game, and Fish; AND OF PREPARING GRAVIES, CULLICES, SOUPS, AND BROTHS; TO DRESS ROOTS AND VEGETABLES, AND TO PREPARE Little elegant Dishes for Supper or light repasts: TO MAKE ALL SORTS OF PIES. PUDDINGS, PANCAKES, AND FRITTERS; CAKES, PUFFS, AND BISCUITS; CHEESECAKES, TARTS, AND CUSTARDS; CREAMS AND JAMS; BLANC MANGE, FLUMMERY, ELEGANT ORNAMENTS, JELLIES, AND SYLLABUBS. THE VARIOUS ARTICLES IN CANDYING, DRYING, PRESERVING, AND PICKLING. THE PREPARATION OF HAMS, TONGUES, BACON, &C. DIRECTIONS FOR TRUSSING POULTRY, CARVING, AND MARKETING. THE MAKING AND MANAGEMENT OF Made Wines, Cordial Waters, and Malt Liquors. TOGETHER WITH Directions for Baking Breads, the Management of Poultry and the Dairy, and the Kitchens and Fruit Garden; with a Catalogue of the Various articles in Season in the different Months of the Year. BESIDES A VARIETY OF USEFUL AND INTERESTING TABLES. THE WHOLE EMBELLISHED WITH THE HEADS OF THE AUTHORS, BILLS FOR EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR, AND PROPER SUBJECTS FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS OF THE ART OF CARVING, ELEGANTLY ENGRAVED ON FOURTEEN COPPER-PLATES. By FRANCIS COLLINGWOOD, and JOHN WOOLLAMS. Principal Cooks at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in the Strand ---- Late from the London Tavern. THIRD EDITION. LONDON: PRINTED BY C. WHITTINGHAM, Dean Street, Fetter Lane, FOR J. STACHARD, No. 12, AVE-MARIE-LANE; H.D. SYMONDS AND HURST, PATERNOSTER-ROW; RICHARDSONS, ROYAL EXCHANGE; MARSH AND DUNSFORD, FLEET-STREET; GARNER, WESLEY, AND STARND, STRAND; LAKING, CURZON-STREET; DANGERFIELD, BERKLEY-SQUARE; MILLAR, AND JORDAN HOOKHAM BOND-STREET; KIRBY, OXFORD-STREET; LINDSELL, WIMPOLE-STREET; LLOTD, CAVENDISH-STREET;--1801.
8vo. 2feps. Half title. [2] Frontispiece of both authors. Title page. [1] 4p. Preface. 20p Contents. 12 engraved plates of bills of fare for every month. (1)2-432. 433-444 A Catalogue. 445-451 Marketing Tables. [1] Advertising. 2feps. Half dark brown modern calf with marbled boards and calf corners. The pages very lightly age browned with some manuscript notes. There an interesting manuscript note on the first page of recipes; "Bought this book from Col. David Smothen [?] and gave him 8 rupees for Mrs Smothen".(Probably a frugal mem-sahib selling the book before leaving for England). The whole text block has been trimmed slightly without loss of text. The third appears to be a very scarce edition, as none are cited in the bibliographies. A nice copy.
- F. Collingwood and J. Woollams had the unique distinction of having their first edition of ‘The Universal Cook’ of 1792, being translated into French and sold in France. Published in Paris in 1810 it was re-named ‘ Le Cuisinier Anglais Universal ou le Nec Plus Ultra de la Gourmandise’. This was the time of the war with Napoleon, but the reputation of London food and its Cooks stood high with foreigners. The first smart restaurant to open in Paris the same year as ‘The Universal Cook’ was published, was called La Grande Taverne de Londres, after the London Tavern, where John Farley its famous Chef was serving his tenure. Collingwood and Woollams had also had a spell at the London Tavern, so one assumes they were as well known as Farley. In spite of the fame and glory of Collingwood and Woollams’ book being translated into French, the French publisher had qualms. In his introduction, he wrote: “The English must eat well, look at their 'embonpoint!' If occasional recipes seem odd, they will at least, 'cher lecteur,' broaden your experience, acquainting you with ‘le catchup’ and ‘le browning’ which are unknown even to our best chefs.” In this age, with our British chefs feeling a need to bow in humble acknowledgement of the superior French culinary tradition and possible superior expertise (although this has definitely been changing in recent years) one is surprised by the above words of the French publisher. Collingwood and Woollams in turn, inform us grandly in their Preface: ‘We shall not attempt to ransack the annals of Antiquity, with a view to discover what was the food of our first parents in the garden of Eden, or in the manner they performed their culinary operation: It is sufficient for us to know a[t] present, that Cookery is become a Science, that every age has contributed its mite to the improvement of this art, which seems now to have reached a very high degree of perfection.’ Interesting! – I’m sure, Joel Robuchon, Gorden Ramsey, Paul Bocuse, Ferran Adria, Heston Blumenthal, Rick Stien, Alain Ducasse et al, are saying the same thing now, and that the great cooks of two or three generations hence, will express the same sentiments; How things change, but ultimately stay the same!.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 10972

Collingwood. F and Woolams. J. - The very scarce 2nd edition.
THE UNIVERSAL COOK,
AND City and Country Housekeeper. CONTAINING ALL THE VARIOUS BRANCHES OF COOKERY: THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF DRESSING Butchers Meat, Poultry, Game, and Fish; AND OF PREPARING GRAVIES, CULLICES, SOUPS, AND BROTHS; TO DRESS ROOTS AND VEGETABLES, AND TO PREPARE Little elegant Dishes for Supper or light repasts: TO MAKE ALL SORTS OF PIES. PUDDINGS, PANCAKES, AND FRITTERS; CAKES, PUFFS, AND BISCUITS; CHEESECAKES, TARTS, AND CUSTARDS; CREAMS AND JAMS; BLANC MANGE, FLUMMERY, ELEGANT ORNAMENTS, JELLIES, AND SYLLABUBS. The various Articles in CANDYING, DRYING, PRESERVING, AND PICKLING. THE PREPARATION OF HAMS, TONGUES, BACON, &C. DIRECTIONS FOR TRUSSING POULTRY, CARVING, AND MARKETING. THE MAKING AND MANAGEMENT OF Made Wines, Cordial Waters, and Malt Liquors. TOGETHER WITH Directions for Baking Breads, the Management of Poultry and the Dairy, and the Kitchens and Fruit Garden; with a Catalogue of the Various articles in Season in the different Months of the Year. BESIDES A VARIETY OF USEFUL AND INTERESTING TABLES. The Whole Embellished with The Heads of the Authors, Bills of Fare for every Month in the Year, and proper Subjets for the Improvement of the Art of Carving, elegantly engraved on Copper-Plates. By FRANCIS COLLINGWOOD, AND JOHN WOOLLAMS. Principal Cooks at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in the Strand ---- Late from the London Tavern. THE SECOND EDITION. LONDON: PRINTED BY R. NOBLE, FOR J. SCATCHERD, NO. 12, AVE-MARIA-LANE. 1797.
8vo. 1fep. Half title. [2] Frontispiece of both authors. Title page. [1] 4p. Preface. 20p Contents. 12 engraved plates of bills of fare for every month, with each verso blank. (curiously there is a light water stain only on the plates. Not objectionable) (1)2-432. 433-444 A Catalogue. 445-451 Marketing Tables. 1p Advertising. 1fep. Original full dark calf covered boards with blind tooled lines on the boards. The sympathetically re-laid spine has raised bands and gilt lines. With a brown label and gilt lettering. Overall has a nice patina. Besides the light stain on the plates, the text block is very clean.
- F. Collingwood and J. Woollams had the unique distinction of having their first edition of ‘The Universal Cook’ of 1792, being translated into French and sold in France. Published in Paris in 1810 it was re-named ‘ Le Cuisinier Anglais Universal ou le Nec Plus Ultra de la Gourmandise’. This was the time of the war with Napoleon, but the reputation of London food and its Cooks stood high with foreigners. The first smart restaurant to open in Paris the same year as ‘The Universal Cook’ was published, was called La Grande Taverne de Londres, after the London Tavern, where John Farley its famous Chef was serving his tenure. Collingwood and Woollams had also had a spell at the London Tavern, so one assumes they were as well known as Farley. This is a nice copy of the second edition printed seven years after the first. The illustration of the two authors as the book frontispiece are quite delicately etched and not as heavy handed as in later editions. With the bookplate of the famous cookery book collector - Lord Westbury, tipped onto the front paste-down.

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Antiquarian category

ref number: 11131