“BOIRE LES LIQUEURS AVANT LE CAFÉ”

CROZE, Austin de. L'Esprit des Liqueurs. Paris: Éditions Vins de France, [1928]. Slim octavo, original green and white art deco stiff paper wrappers, contemporary glassine; pp. 48. $250.

Early edition, circa 1928, of this fascinating and wonderfully illustrated history of liqueurs by de Croze, one of the most “prominent early French sources on country cooking,” scarce in original art deco wrappers.

L'Esprit des Liqueurs was authored by Count Austin de Croze, one of the most "prominent early French sources on country cooking from the first half of the 20th century" (Willan, Country Cooking of France). De Croze, who was a source for Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking (1960), is also renowned for works such as Les plats régionaux de France (1928), "his compendium of French regional dishes as he found them just after WWI" (Sokolov, Cook's Canon, 50). In addition De Croze notably co-authored Le trésor gastronomique de la France (1929) with the celebrated Maurice Sailland (aka Curnonsky). In L'Esprit des Liqueurs De Croze provides a fascinating history of liqueurs throughout the 18th and 19th centuries that is wonderfully illustrated with images of early advertisements, styles of flasks and liqueur bottle labels. Early edition with "En homage au corps médical…" to rear wrapper. Issued in wrappers only. Text in French. Without initial blank leaf. Bitting, 109. See Gabler, 69. Tiny bit of red-inked marginalia not affecting text.

Interior generally fresh with front hinge starting but sound, light soiling to wrappers. An extremely good copy.