The Art of Good Living. A contribution to the better understanding of food and drink together with a gastronomic vocabulary and a wine dictionary; with a frontispiece after Daumier, and a foreword by Maurice Healy.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf Inc.; [printed in Great Britain for Knopf], 1930.
Octavo (20.5 x 14 cm.), [xii], 190, [1] pages. Top edge black. Advertisements. Appendix of special wine terms. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. Originally published in the U.K. in the prior year. Written at the request of the great bibliographer Michael Sadleir, The Art of Good Living has been described as the first book in English "in which food and wine are treated together, by a master of both". The frontispiece, "Pardon, monsieur..." by Bouchot, is incorrectly attributed "after Daumier". In the foreword, Maurice Healy places the book as a response to the growing industrialization of food, an influence largely coming from America. He writes, "Was it not well said that the man who has succeeded in making only one stomach-ache grow where two had grown before was a greater benefactor of the human race than all the trans-pontine patent-food merchants who talk about "hy-jeen." One of a number of books on wine published by Alfred Knopf during Prohibition. Knopf was himself a connoisseur of food and wine and just a few years after this publication, was a founding member of the New York Food & Wine Society. Some age toning to text block; some light fading or soiling to edges marbled paper-covered boards, over one quarter black cloth. Generally very good. Lacks dust jacket. With the bookplate of Philip Wallace Nash to the front paste-down, and an ownership signature of the same, dated October 1930. Nash was a member of the New York Stock Exchange and of the Wine & Food Society. [Unzelman, Printer's Ink page 39; Gabler G38690; Noling, page 375 (London issue)].
Price: $40.00