ITALIAN CUISINE

IL NUOVISSIMO CUCCHIAIO D'ARGENTO. Milan: Editoriale Domus, 1972. c.1950. 1083 pages. IN ITALIAN. in al silver slipcase, a beautiful copy in the original plastic cover. The perfection, if I may exaggerate a bit, of Italian modern design. covering all subjects- sauces to cocktails to menus. as new $225.

F. T. Marinetti e Fillia.  LA CUCINA FUTURISTA. Milano: Casa Editrice Sonzogno, 1932. # 759. 12mo. 267pp. bright yellow wraps with bold red titles. a very good copy ! $4000.

Simonetta (Duchessa Colonna di Cesaro). A SNOB IN THE KITCHEN. NY: Doubleday and Company, 1967. a fashion icon with her own perfume. beautiful recipes too. a bright copy in a jacket.  $115. 

An obscure title:

Achille de Behec. LA CUCINA PRACTICA ed  ECONOMICA  PER LA FAMIGLIA OSSIA  L’ARTE DI MANGIAR BENE E SPENDER POCO. Napoli: Società Editrice Partenopea, n.d. ca.1910. 272 pages. bound in stiffer paper jacket. tape restored paper cover, text block solid. The New York Academy of Medicine owns the same--a different title, 1907, with restorative recipes to improve health. in Italian.  $250.00

Maria Gentile. THE ITALIAN COOK BOOK. THE ART OF EATING WELL. PRACTICAL RECIPES OF THE ITALIAN CUISINE…. NY: Italian Book Co., 1919. 1st edition.a very good copy with a dust jacket. 160 pages. $300.

Bohun Lynch. THE ITALIAN RIVIERA ITS SCENERY CUSTOMS & FOOD. London: George Harrap   & Co., 1927. 1 folding map, illustrated with photographs.  + a very selective bibliography. $90. 

R. Rovetta. INDUSTRIA DEL PASTIFICIO. Milano: Ulrico Hoepli, 1951. 674 pages.  flexible covers. Great Italian design. Macaroni production. Folding plates and diagrams. $200. 

K. Baedeker. ITALY HANDBOOK FOR THE TRAVELLERS. THIRD PART. SOUTHERN ITALY AND SICILY. Leipsic: Karl Baedeker, Publisher, 1887. ninth revised edition. good condition, 26 maps and 17 plans. 416 pages. $125. 

Paul Bloomfield. THE MEDITERRANEAN AN ANTHOLOGY. London: Cassell and Company, 1935.   small essays about that part of the world on various topics: Oars: Age of Pericles; emotions on Entering the Strait of Gibralter; The Islands; The Riveria; Earthquakes; Carthage: Dido’s Suicide; North Africa. 13 chapter headings. 247 pages. Illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Bibliography. bright jacket with some chips.  $90. 

Marcella Hazan. THE CLASSIC ITALIAN COOKBOOK. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987. near fine early printing.  $95. 

--MORE CLASSIC ITALIAN COOKING. NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978. first edition stated. nearly fine. $95. 

--More Classic Italian. 1980, 4th printing. SIGNED  on FEP 

$300.

all copies are in VG/Fine  with bright jackets

John Moore. A VIEW OF SOCIETY AND MANNERS IN ITALY: WITH ANECDOTES RELATING TO SOME EMINENT CHARACTERS. Boston: Apollo Press, 1792. While most dialogue covers more lofty and historical descriptions of society and politics in the many cities and towns, interesting details of dress and meals punctuate the story. “ I shall mention two circumstances, from which you may form an idea of the grandeur of an Italian palace, and the number of domestics which some of the nobility retain. We passed through twelve or thirteen large rooms before we arrived at the dining room; there were thirty-six persons at the table, none served but the Prince’s domestics, and each guest had a footman behind his chair; other domestics belonging to the Prince remained in the adjacent rooms, and in the hall. We afterwards passed through a considerable number of other rooms in our way to one from which there is a commanding view.” 

No shortage of descriptions of hand gestures or extemporaneous declarations of religious passion, which we in the Roman Catholic faith call ejaculations.    $150.

RARE AND DESIRABLE:

1 mimeographed page from ECOLE DES 3 GOURMANDES. The cooking school started by Child, Beck and Bertholle in Paris in the 1950's. Stamped twice with the ever so familiar design Julia wore as an embroidered patch pinned to her shirt in her PBS TV show, The French Chef. Some wear. $1500. 

The knife article:  HARPER'S MAGAZINE, CRUSADE RESUMED. November, 1951. Bernard DeVoto wrote the 'knife' article, read by Julia Child, when she and Paul were in France, wrote to DeVoto whose wife Avis wrote back to Julia, and so the story goes, was the long 'fruitful' friendship and spark to Mastering the Art, published by Knopf in 1961. $45.

A small piece of the larger Mastering the Art of French Cooking puzzle. Louisette Bertholle is credited with this 1955 British edition, the American edition was published in 1952, though Simone Beck and Helmut Ripperger are credited inside on the back of the half-title page. Culled from more than 600 recipes submitted, this is 58 pages and just over 65 recipes. Mastering the Art was published 6 years later, with Bertholle, Beck and Child as the authors.

Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck, Helmut Ripperger. WHAT'S COOKING IN FRANCE. NY: Ives Washburn, 1952. spiral bound, 63 pages. $95.

another copy: Louisette Bertholle. WHAT'S COOKING IN FRANCE. London: MacGibbon & Kee, 1955. A lively introduction to the delights and simplicity of French cooking. Red, white and blue stiff paper covers, spiral bound, crisp though lightly toned inside, bumped corners. Illustrations by Otto Fried. $95.

Jean et Danièle Lorenzi. CUISINE MONEGASQUE. Imprimerie Nationale de Monaco, 1969. dessins by Jean & Danièle Lorenzi. 179 pages. 10.75 x 8.5” flexible stiff covers with decorative jacket. tipped in pictures, recipes and menus. From the library of Chef Christophe Marguin. $225.

X.M. Boulestin. THE CONDUCT OF THE KITCHEN. London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1925. #16 of 25. Limited edition. effeciency in the kitchen with essays, menus and recipes. 67 pages, deckled edges. dark patterned cloth with title stamped on the front cover and spine. tissue guard. signed by Boulestin and Laboureur. see image right.  $950.

ALICE AND GERTRUDE

Alice. B. Toklas. THE ALICE B. TOKLAS COOKBOOK. NY: Harpers and Brothers, 1954. true 1st edition (see Robert A. Wilson) with errata- a bright copy. not pictured here.  $225.

AN LP RECORDING

ALICE B. TOKLAS. reading from The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook and Gertrude Steins’s The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. recorded April 29, 1960, Paris. cover photo by Carl Van Vechten. an opened copy a perfect LP, from Verve Records, literary series. one complete side from the Cook Book. a thrill to hear.    $250.

Letter from Alice B. Toklas to Mr. Cummings (Philip Cummings, Woodstock, VT)  from the apartment at 27 Rue de Fleurus. The letter was written one year after the publication of The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas, a book that brought much fame and notoriety to the couple. Alice had written the cookbook after Gertrude’s death, in it recalling the company and meals, the wars they had seen, their lives together in Bilignin.
It is a short, beautifully crafted letter.

 Janet Malcolm wrote a essay for The New Yorker  that easily puts their notority, and so this letter, into perspective in the writers and artists world, and Mr. Cummings Wiki page focuses the letter.There are 3 different links  from The New York Times in my short description and to Wikipedia pages about Mr. Cummings and 27 rue de Fleurus.. $750.

Gertrude Stein. TENDER BUTTONS. OBJECTS FOOD ROOMS. New York: Claire Marie, 1914. small papercovered book with green paste on, bruised corner, repaired spine  but original all there. some darkening to the spine and edges of the book, same for the back cover. inside perfect. $2500.

-another less perfect. $1900.

Brillat-Savarin. LA PHYSIOLOGIE DU GOÛT. Paris: Éditions Jean Budry & Cie.,Decembre, 1926. #270 of 370. original paper covers bound in  1/4 leather marbled boards. tissue guard over J.E. Labourer etching. in fine condition. a couple of fox spots. $600.

PHYSIOLOGIE DU GOUT, OU MEDITATIONS DE GASTRONOMIE TRANSCENDANTE. EDITION ACCOMPAGNEE DES OUVRAGE SUIVANTS TRAITE DES EXCITANTS MODERNES (BALZAC)  ANECDOTES ET FRAGMENTS D’HISTOIRE CULINAIRE, PENSEES ET PRECEPTES (RECUEILLIS PAR UN PHILOSOPHE), RECETTES ET FORMULES (PAR UN CORDON BLEU), LA GASTRONOMIE (BERCHOUX) L’ART DE DINER EN VILLE (COLNET). Paris: Charpentier, 1853. bound in decorative boards. $350. 

LA PHYSIOLOGIE DU GOUT…..Bruxelles: La Boetie, 1947. #2393 of 4660 copies printed on alfa verge superieur des papeteries. in 2 vol. wraps with original glassine paper covers in green flocked slipcase. $400. 

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. THE PHYSIOLOGY OF TASTE OR, MEDITATIONS ON TRANSCENDENTAL GASTRONOMY.  A new translation by MFK Fisher with profuse annotations by the translator and illustrations by Sylvain Sauvage. NY: Heritage Press, 1949. A very good edition for reading the book with Fisher’s notes. This is a fine copy with decorative paper boards, with its glassine cover in the red slipcase that has a little edge sunning. Some black and white and color illustrations within the text. $150.

Nicolas Appert. L’ARTE DE CONSERVER, PENDANT PLUSIERS ANNEES, TOUTES LES SUBSTANCES ANIMALES ET VEGETALES. Paris: Chez Patris et Cie, 1811. deuxieme edition. c. 1810. Bitting 13- the second edition is not mentioned, but the third and the fourth, as well as,

the British edition of 1811, the German translation of 1811 and 1812 and the Swedish edition of 1811. Wildly famous scientific discoveries, in print, spreading from (professional) kitchen to kitchen.  

225 pages, original grey green paper wraps with the paper title on spine, some worming from the back of the book ending in a small hole to p 71. last leaf has the bottom third removed. 

one folding plate after the second title page. a very nice clean copy, holding very well- no loose pages or cracking in the structure of the book. $1500.

Menon. LA SCIENCE DU MAITRE D’HOTEL CONFISEUR,A L’USAGE DES OFFICERS, AVEC DES OBSERVATIONS SUR LA CONNOISSANCE & PROPRIETES DES FRUITS. ENRICHIE DE DESSINS EN DECORATIONS & PARTERRES POUR LES DESSERTS. Paris: Compagnie des Libraires Associes, 1788. an original 16 mo., 525pp + observations and contents.  with marbled boards New edition. vade mecum for the pastry chef: preserving, candying and treatments of fruits, baking, etc... 4 plates all folding, the fifth in facsimile at page 267. with some recipes written in. $350.

Eugene Briffault. PARIS A TABLE. Paris: J. Hetzel, 1846. Beautifully bound in a black stamped binding with bright gilt decorations, title on spine. Gilt edges. Pale yellow-green endpages. 184 +iv contents. Essays on the restaurants of Paris, in history and opinions and reviews. Illustrations by Bertall and others.  $1500.

Menon. LA SCIENCE DU MAITRE D’HOTELCONFISEUR,A L’USAGE DES OFFICERS, AVEC DES OBSERVATIONS SUR LA CONNOISSANCE & PROPRIETES DES FRUITS. ENRICHIE DE DESSINS EN DECORATIONS & PARTERRES POUR LES DESSERTS. Paris: Compagnie des Libraires Associes, 1788. an original 16 mo., 525pp + observations and contents.  with marbled boards New edition. vade mecum for the pastry chef: preserving, candying and treatments of fruits, baking, etc... 4 plates all folding, the fifth in facsimile at page 267. with some recipes written in. $350.

Jules Remy. CHAMPIGNONS ET TRUFFES.  Paris: Librairie Agricole de la Maison Rustique,1861. 173pp. 12 color plates.Comestibles, identification, culture and utilization (recipes) bound in ¼ leather, marbled boards. A beautiful copy. Bitting 393. Vicaire 737. $500.

Arnould Locard. LES HUITRES ET LES MOLLUSQUES COMESTIBLES MOULES, PRAIRES,CLOVISSES, ESCARGOTS, ETC. Paris: Librairie J.B. Bailliere et Fils, 1890. farming, taxonomy with 97 illustrations. scarce title. in French. in an early green cloth cover with ¼ leather, gilt decorative title on spine and a ribbon page marker. in very good, tight condition. With illustrations, identification, cultivation and Les Maladies.  Bitting 291. No recipes. the last image on this page is LES HUITRES. $600.

Curnonsky & Marcel Rouff. LA FRANCE GASTRONOMIQUE. Paris, F. Rouffe.  3 of the 13 volumes in this series of the different regions of France. Small paper wraps, almost uniform in size and appearance. Small travel guides for the regions with recommendations for chosing an auberge and wine with some recipes included.

LA SAVOIE. 1923. 119 pages + advertising. $75.

L’ALSACE. 1921. 123 pages + local advertising. $75.

LA NORMANDIE. 123 pages. + advertising. $75.

Sara Bosse and Onoto Watanna. CHINESE-JAPANESE COOK BOOK. Chicago: Rand McNally & Company, 1914. small 16mo. 120pp + publ. early imprint of Asian cooking in America, perhaps in tribute to her Chinese mother. The story here is a little blurry. Why not? A bright little copy, bright paste on, clean and tight. lightly rubbed corners. $300. 

  An interesting wikipedia biography here.

Townley Searle. STRANGE NEWES FROM CHINA. A FIRST CHINESE COOKERY BOOK. NY: E.P. Dutton & Co., n.d. (1932) Printed in England at the Burleigh Press, as new copy with just a touch of shelf wear. decorations by Searle. paper lantern decorative inside covers. $350.

H. Lecourt. LA CUISINE CHINOISE. Paris: Robert Laffont, 1968. The complete reprinted 1923 edition. Laffont is famous for unusual and innovative and artistic book design. This edition is clean and bright.  $125.

Corrine Lamb. CHINESE FESTIVE BOARD. Peking: Henri Vetch, 1938 second edition. 153 pages. pictorial covers. with black and white photographs, with aphorisms and proverbs and recipes. A tribute to her stay in China. a very good bright copy. $165. 

Bertha. NYESTE OG FULDSTAENDIGSTE KOGBOG.  Kristiania: Sophus Kriedts Forlag, n.d. 1890. for small and large households. 206 pp. $150.

Georg Steinberger. MODERNE TORTEN- VERZIERUNGEN. 78 MODERNE VORLAGEN EIGENE ENTWURFE MIT KLAREN ERLÅUTERUNGEN. Bayern, 1910. Gray cloth covers, 40 color plates, pastel color designs. 12 x12 “ a very clean sturdy copy. With the original cardboard envelope. $375.

J. M Erich Weber. PRAKTISCHE KONDITOREI-KUNST. “PRA-KO-KU” DAS GROSSE KONDITOREN-FACHWERK DER WELT. Dresden, 1924. 90 color plates, of cake and pastry designs. 11 ½ x 12 “. Missing the stencils. Bumped edges and a bit wobbly, still an impressive pastry cookbook. $225.

R. Riddell ( Robert Flower) INDIAN DOMESTIC ECONOMY  AND RECEIPT BOOK; COMPRISING NUMEROUS DIRECTIONS FOR PLAIN WHOLESOME COOKERY, BOTH ORIENTAL AND ENGLISH…..Madras: Higginbotham and Co., 1870. 650 pages. (Rebound) Malta May 29th 1876. 

Cagle, 803.

Axford, 226.

Bitting 398

from Lavonne Axford. English Language Cookbooks, 1600-1973: image below. This copy in VG condition. $500. 

Mrs. Grace Johnson.  ANGLO-INDIAN AND ORIENTAL-COOKERY.     London: W. H. Allen & Co., n.d. ca 1893. 19-20th Cent.   $265. 

By A Thirty-Five Years' Resident. THE INDIAN COOKERY BOOK A NPRACTICAL HANDBOOK TO THE KITCHEN IN INDIA.  Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co., 1880. off the hinges held on by the rear stitches, no title page, wobbly, incredibly scuffed. A mixture of Indian and British recipes. $300.

"Wyvern" CULINARY JOTTINGS FOR MADRAS A TREATISE IN THIRTY CHAPTERS ON REFORMED COOKERY. Madras: Higginbotham and Co., 1880.  Generally very good descriptions of giving orders to the kitchen. $400.