THE NEW ART OF COOKERY, ACCORDING TO THE PRESENT PRACTICE; BEING A COMPLETE GUIDE TO ALL HOUSEKEEPERS, ON A PLAN ENTIRELY NEW; CONSISTING OF THIRTY-EIGHT CHAPTERS...
Philadelphia: W. Spotswood, R. Campbell, and B. Johnson, 1792. First American Edition. Hardcover. Duodecimo (4-1/8" x 6-3/4") bound in contemporary calf leather with gilt rules on the spine and a gilt-lettered red morocco spine label; xiii, xii-xvi, 557, [1-advertisement for Spotswood's books] pages, as issued. Originally issued in London in 1788, this is ONE OF THE EARLIEST COOKBOOKS PRINTED IN AMERICA. The chapters include material on wine and wine making, cordials, brewing, "proper rules to be observed in marketing," "rules for trussing," sauces, baking, broiling, and everything else. Briggs's prefatory remarks are dated 1788 and addressed to his readers "in hopes that they will find the Directions and Receipts more intelligible than in most Books of the Kind." BITTING, p.60, citing this Philadelphia edition as the main edition, and noting the other editions (including the two later Boston and Philadelphia editions of 1798); EVANS 24145; LOWENSTEIN 14. Bookplate of the noted Americanist Michael Zinman on the front pastedown. Front free endpaper lacking; early owner name to top of title and the first page of text; light to moderate foxing; one gathering bound upside down; about five leaves trimmed closely, occasionally affecting a word or letter. Binding quite nice with partial splits on both covers which are holding firm. Very Good and quite scarce, especially in this complete, unmutilated condition. Item #020848
Price: $2,500.00