The Practical Confectioner,
EMBRACING THE WHOLE SYSTEM OF Pastry, and Confectionery, IN ALL THEIR VARIOUS BRANCHES; Containing upwards of 200 Genuine and Valuable RECEIPTS; CONSISTING OF upwards of 60 Second-Course and Supper Dishes; INCLUDING Jellies, Creams, Soufflés Puddings, Chantillas, and Ornamental Pastry and Confectionary of every description: Preserving in all its Various branches; Cakes and Biscuits of various kinds; Ice Creams and Water Ices; Sugars, Candies, Syrups &cc.; Many of which have never appeared in Print: the whole written in the plainest manner, without the least ambiguity; WITH THE BILLS OF FARE FOR BALL SUPPERS, ON A LARGE AND SMALL SCALE. BY JAMES COX. London: Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Browne; and sold by all the booksellers in the United Kingdom. 1822. PRICE EIGHT SHILLINGS.
FIRST AND SOLE EDITION: 12 mo. 2feps. Title page with printers - Newcombe of Broad-Street, Bristol on verso. [1] (1)iv-vi Preface. 4 Plates of Bills of Fare, 3 folding with the largest measuring an unusual 19 inches long. (1)8-220. (1)222-234 Index. 2feps. Full calf with slightly faded boards and relaid calf spine with blind tooling, gilt lines and lettering. Cookery books are famed for the attrition they suffer in the greasy hands of those that use them. Although this one lacks the aforementioned grease, internally it is slightly yellowed with age, but overall its a fine copy of an extremely scarce book.
- One of the landmark books in the field of confectionery, pastry and sweets. A sole edition, the date on the preface states Clifton (Bristol) August 1822, and also advertised for 8 shillings in The London Literary Gazette on Saturday, September 14th 1822. One sees the antiquated style of the title echoed in other books throughout the 19th century. Never the less, Cox’s well illustrated and informed work and although probably one of the the lesser known, is certainly on a par with the other great Confectioners; Nutt, Jarrin, Borella, Dubois et al. Copies in any condition are extremely scarce, even possibly rare. A key work in any collection of antiquarian cookery books. COPAC reveals five copies: St Andrews , Aberdeen, Cambridge, the Wellcome library and the BL also has one copy.
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Antiquarian category
ref number:
11153