Kettner's Book of the Table. A Manual of Cookery. Practical, Theoretical, Historical.

First edition, a particularly bright example of the original cloth. Dallas made his name in anonymous journalism, achieving particular recognition as an obituarist. He was also knowledgeable about cooking, and like his Victorian contemporaries was indebted to French cuisine: his "encyclopaedic Kettner's book of the table. incorporated recipes supplied by his friend Auguste Kettner, former chef to Napoleon III" (ODNB), and also borrowed from figures such as Grimod and Brillat-Savarin (Mennell, All Manners of Food, p. 269). Uncommon: just four copies traced in libraries world-wide (Berlin, Barcelona, National Library of Scotland and British Library). Bitting p. 258; not in Cagle. Octavo (196 x 126 mm). Original green cloth, titles to spine and front board gilt, twin rules to boards in blind, black coated endpapers. Contemporary book-label of F. Temple to front pastedown. Tips lightly bumped, a few very small dents to edges of rear board, foxing to page-edges, the very occasional faint marginal spot, short closed tear to bottom edge f. [8] just encroaching on text to no loss. An excellent copy.