One folding engraved plate. xxxii, 116 pp. 8vo, cont. red morocco-backed paste-paper boards, flat spine nicely gilt. Paris: Patris, 1810.

First edition. One of the great achievements of the 19th century in respect to food was the successful development of canning. The pioneer in this field was the Frenchman, Nicolas Appert (1750-1841).

In Appert’s process the foodstuff was placed in clean bottles, well corked, and subsequently the bottles were raised to the boiling-point of water. In this way the most perishable material could be kept unchanged for a long time. With this method Appert demonstrated practically the process of pasteurization, nearly fifty... More

One folding engraved plate. 12 p.l., 577, [27] pp. 8vo, cont. half-vellum & paste-paper boards. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck, 1787.

Third edition, greatly enlarged and improved (1st ed.: 1777) of the first textbook of technology, a term created by its author. Beckmann (1739-1811), taught at the University of Göttingen, where an ordinary professorship of economic sciences was established for him in 1770. He lectured on mineralogy, agriculture, technology, materials science, commerce, and general public administration.

The present book “is noteworthy for its systematic approach to the various vocations and for its descriptions of a number of trades.”–D.S.B., I, p. 554. Beckmann describes in great detail the... More

Numerous woodcuts in the text. 28 unnumbered leaves (incl. the first leaf, a blank). Small 4to, early 20th-cent. calf (final leaf with short tear in blank section, carefully repaired). London: W. Stansby for J. Grismand, 1626.

A very rare book that describes the English bread-pricing regulations established in 1266, which remained in force, with modifications, for more than six centuries. As Britain’s early modern economy developed and the price of wheat fluctuated, these regulations were periodically revised and reissued by authority of the Privy Council. ESTC locates only one copy of our edition in North America.

“Bread was one of the basic nutritional elements of the medieval diet and its supply and price were of the utmost concern to local authorities. Consequently, well-defined laws were laid down to control the manufacture and sale of bread: to judge the weight, quality, and price, and also to ensure an open and constant supply. The most significant and long-lasting commercial law in medieval England was the assize of bread, which was entered into statute law sometime [1266] in the thirteenth century… More

One hand-colored engraved plate. xix, 51 pp. 8vo, attractive antique calf-backed marbled boards (some foxing), spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. London: C. Dilly & J. Phillips, 1787.

“Second edition” (but see below) of this translation of Commerell’s work on the mangel wurzel, an uncommon beet developed in the 18th century as a fodder crop for livestock and, when harvested young, an excellent source of nutrition for humans. Commerell (d. 1799), chaplain to the Princess of Lowenstein in the German Lorraine and a member of the Société d’Agriculture de Paris, was interested in husbandry and wrote a monograph in French on... More

Woodcut frontis. 84 folding leaves. 8vo, orig. blue patterned wrappers, block-printed label on upper cover, new stitching. Edo: Okadaya Kashichi & Izumiya Ichibei, [1833].

First edition and quite rare. This is a collection of planned menus, each involving a number of dishes, arranged by the four seasons. The fine full-page woodcut shows a kitchen scene in a wealthy household, with a chef cutting a fish with a knife and preparing ceremonial dishes (all the ingredients are apparent in the background). A female server is carrying a dish to the dining area.

The main body of the text lists dishes with their ingredients. The broad categories from which dishes are drawn, listed in the index, include: rice, pickles, many categories of broiled and braised dishes, sashimi, sake-marinated fish, many categories of soups, shellfish, kinds of desserts, fruits, etc. At the end is a list of exotic ingredients with instructions on how to prepare and cook them. More

Seven engraved plates (one double-page). 1 p.l., xvii, [1], 448, 1 leaf, 6 leaves of explanatory text; 1 p.l., iv, [1], 498 pp. Two vols. 8vo, cont. tree calf (short crack at top of one joint, minor foxing), flat spines gilt with red & green morocco labels. London: T. Cadell & W. Davies, 1800.

First edition in English of Gren’s Grundriss der Chemie with additions and notes by the translator (Dr. Gruber...). Although the author had his own eclectic theory of chemistry he has followed the antiphlogistic system in this work.”–Cole 554. The text also describes glass- and ceramic-making techniques, dyeing, brewing, etc.

Gren (1760-98), founder of the Journal der Physik, Germany’s most exciting scientific journal, slowly adopted Lavoisier’s theories, which helped prepare the way for the ultimate acceptance of the Frenchman’s ideas in Germany. More

Full-page woodcut armorial device on verso of title, one woodcut in the text, & woodcut initials & decorations. Largely printed in black letter. 11 p.l. (several preliminary leaves misbound at end), 193, [1] leaves. Small 4to, cont. limp vellum (wrinkled & somewhat soiled, minor & mostly marginal worming to misbound leaves, minor dampstaining), ties gone. London: Printed by R. Watkins, 1577.

First edition in English, translated by Barnabe Googe (1540-94). This work, first published in Latin in Cologne in 1570, was extremely popular. Written in the form of a dialogue, the book takes an imaginary visitor through the countryman’s house, and shows him his farm, stables, garden... More

Title printed in red & black. 11 p.l., 400, [37] pp. 8vo, cont. vellum over boards (light browning & foxing). Ulm: D. Bartholomai, 1722.

First edition. Hoffmann (1660-1742), whom Hirsch calls “one of the heroes of German medicine in the 18th century,” was “a leading medical systematist of the first half of the eighteenth century...he became a highly influential teacher and practicing physician in Germany, systematizing coherently the Galenic, iatromechanical, and iatrochemical aspects of the phenomena of health and disease.”–D.S.B., VI, p. 458.

In the present work, Hoffmann offers a collection of medical and dietetic instructions developed to improve health. He provides... More

Eight full-page woodcut illus. Numerous tables in the text. 38; 43 folding leaves. Two vols. 8vo, orig. yellow patterned wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers, new stitching. Tokyo: the Authors, 1877.

First edition of this scarce book on the tea industry of Japan. With the opening of Japan, tea and silk quickly became the two most important export products.

Kumajiro Kanbayashi was a member of the family that has owned, for more than 450 years, the Kanbayashi tea company, a well-known tea and incense store in Kyoto. In the Preface to the first volume, the authors emphasize the importance of tea... More

23 silk-screened images of potatoes hand-tinted & tipped-in. 14 unnumbered leaves. Folio (430 x 310 mm.), orig. pink paper wrappers & yellow band with watercolored title, stitched. London: The Everyday Press, 2018.

A charming illustrated recipe book by the chef Jeremy Lee and British artist Simon Popper; produced in an edition of 75. Recipes include: pommes sarladaises, potato soup, Cullen skink, champ, and “Janson’s Temptation.” The silk-screened potato images were copied from 19th-century engravings of potatoes. Printed by Lesley Sharp.

As new. More

One large folding printed chart (533 x 368 mm.). Title within typographical border. 1 p.l., 62 pp. Small folio (290 x 180 mm.), modern boards, label on spine. [Mexico City]: from the folding chart: “Viuda de D. Joseph Bernardo de Hogal,” 1755.

First and only edition printed in Mexico of these important ordinances governing manufacturing, trade, and the production and commerce of food within Mexico City. This copy is complete with the extremely uncommon folding chart detailing bread costs and prices. These 117 statutes touch upon many aspects of daily life, including the large-scale production of bread; quality controls on bread; animal husbandry and the production... More

One folding handcolored engraved plate & six folding printed tables on four sheets. xvi, 418 pp. 8vo, cont. tree calf (minor foxing), flat spine nicely gilt (minor defect at foot of spine), red morocco lettering piece on spine. Paris: Poulet, 1814.

First edition in French (1st ed.: Madrid, 1807), large paper copy, of this uncommon work on the grapes cultivated in Andalucia. Rojas (1777-1827), librarian of the royal botanical garden of Madrid, describes the grapes’ characteristics, tastes, and uses as a commercial crop for eating and for making wine. He describes more than 120 varieties, providing details on their various local names, qualities... More