The Pantropheon
OR, HISTORY OF FOOD, And its Preparation, FROM THE EARLIEST AGES OF THE WORLD. BY A. SOYER, AUTHOR OF " The Gastronomic Regenerator" and the " Modern Housewife, or Menagere, " &c. EMBELLISHED WITH FORTY-TWO STEEL PLATES, ILLUSTRATING THE GREATEST GASTRONOMIC MARVELS OF ANTIQUITY. LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, &CO., STATIONERS' HALL COURT. MDCCCLIII. The Author reserves his right of Translating this Work.
FIRST & SOLE EDITION of 1853. 8vo. Frontispiece of Soyer. Title Page with some gilt lettering and gilt borders. (vii-xvi) Contents. [1-3] 4-474. p1. 'Advertisements' p1. 'Authors Note' 1 fep. 39 full page plus 2 double page Illustrations. The pastedown and end-papers are marbled. Bound in dark brown half calf with marble boards. Spine with raised bands, blind tooled square compartments, gilt lettering directly onto the spine. Very clean internally however very slight foxing, particularly to p.406-407. Overall a very nice copy of a very scarce book.
- There are serious doubts about the true author of 'The Panthropheon.' In Petits Propos Culinaires Vol: 29, p18. the late Mike McKirdy (a very knowledgeable antiquarian cookery book dealer, and co-owner with his wife Tess of 'Cooks Books') puts forward a compelling case for Adolphe Duhart-Fauvet to be awarded posthumous credit as the author. In the online Food Encyclopedia 'Practically Edible' it states -- "The Pantropheon is credited to Alexis, but it was in fact mostly written by a M. Adolphe Duhart-Fauvet. Soyer allowed his name to be used as the author, though he wrote only the last chapter." Mike McKirdy rightly suggests, Soyer's reputation does not rest alone on the Pantropheon, but due to his numerous and varied activities by which his huge fame grew, it is an interesting sidenote.
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Antiquarian category
ref number:
10955