The Art of French Cookery.
London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green, 1824.
Octavo, xv, 380 pages. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION. An important cookbook by "one of the most famous early nineteenth century Paris restaurateurs. ...Beauvilliers stands as the first and most easily recognized example of a restaurateur as a democratization of what had once been an aristocratic privilege." (Spang, The Invention of the Restaurant). André Simon called this book, "at the time of its publication easily the best and most reliable both in French and in English." (Bibliotheca Gastronomica). The author's famous restaurant, originally eponymous, and later the Grandes Taverne des Londres, closed the year after this English edition was published. Internally with a bit of light foxing and a few light pencil check marks. Three quarters of an inch of corner of free front endpaper torn away. Publisher's advertisement glued to front pastedown, and with the bookseller's ticket of Merridew in Warwick. In original blue paper-covered boards over brown paper spine with printed label. Much of the spine paper is perished, and the hinges are cracked, but the text block is solid, and the paper remains supple. Scarce in this edition. Only one copy has appeared at auction in the past several decades. [OCLC locates twelve copies of this edition; Bitting, page 31; Cagle 559; Oxford, page 155; Simon BG 184; Vicaire cites the French editions only].
Price: $1,000.00