Athenaiou Deipnosophiston Biblia Pentekaideka. Athenaei Dipnosophistarvm, Hoc Est argute sciteque conuiuio disserentum. Lib. XV, quibus nunc quantum operae ac diligentiae adhibitum sit satis fiedei erit.
Basileae: Joannes Valderus, 1535.
Quarto, [34], 333, [1]. Second edition. Text in Greek, editor's notes in Latin & Greek. One of the most important works of late classical antiquity dealing with food, wine, and table customs, dating from the third century A.D. The book is a fictionalized symposium of twenty one artists, writers, musicians and surgeons, discussing all things that, according to Greek custom, should adorn a banquet. The names of the most famous gastronomers and most celebrated cooks are recorded, and the text of a recipe from a lost cookbook by Mithaecus is quoted -- the earliest recipe by a named author in any language. The virtues and qualities of various wines are the subjects of lengthy discourses. Table ornament and decoration are also treated. Rebound in modern half-vellum, text-block trimmed. Generally very good internally, with a touch of foxing to some leaves, and pages supple. With the bookplate of Anne Willan, noted authority on French food, founder of the prestigious Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne and, with her husband Mark, truly great cookbook collectors. This edition very scarce in the trade. [OCLC locates eight copies, only one in the US, at the University of Kansas; this edition not listed in Bitting, Cagle, or Vicaire].
Price: $4,500.00