King, William. The art of cookery, in imitation of Horace's Art of poetry : with some letters to Dr. Lister and others, occasion'd principally by the title of a book publish'd by the doctor, being the works of Apicus Coelius concerning the soups and sauces of the antients ... : to which is added Horace's art of poetry, in Latin. London: Printed for Bernard Lintott [1709?].
First edition. (200 x 125 mm ) Half title, [8], 1-160. [A]4 B-L8. Pp. 52-135 Latin/English facing page text. Decorative endpieces. Contemporary Cambridge panel binding in full leather with title (Lister’s Cookery) in gilt on spine. Gilt gauffering along edges. Hinges a cracked but firm. End banks chipped. Ink stain on fore edge but does not affect text. Overall VERY GOOD condition for age.
Provenance: Samuell Turner’s stamp on front fly leaf; H. G. Sharp Oxford, 17 Dec. 1894 stamp on paste down.
See: Pennell, 142-143; Bitting 260; Maclean, 84
ESTC T22442
ESTC Notes: The author of the Journey to London = William King. a: With a half-title. a: 'The art of cookery' and 'De arte poetica' printed as parallel texts between pp. 52 and 135. a: The 'Daily Courant' for 8 January 1708 records the publication of this edition of 'The art of cookery'. a: With press-figures: 5 on leaf C5v; 4 on leaves B5r, E1v, F6v, H3v, I8v, K8r, L2v; [dagger] on leaves B1v, C2v, D2v, E2v, F4r, H8v, I1v, K5r. a: Printed by William Bowyer.
Cf. Library of Congress PR3539.K7 A6 1709
A satyrical poem, occasionally misattributed to Jonathan Swift, this mix of cookery, Classics, and comedy represents the tastes of the 18th century well. The Latin poem, with an English translation on the facing page, provides witticisms such as:
“Judgement provides the Meat in Season sit
Which by the Genius dress, its sauce is Wit.
Good Beef for Men, pudding for Youth and Age,
Come up to the Decorum of the Stage.”
The poem moves deftly from cooking and cooking-adjacent metaphors, to Pope-esque statements about Truth and Love (“When Truth commands there’s no Man can offend./ That with modest Love corrects his friend./Tho’ ’tis in toasting Bread, or buttering Pease./ So the reproof has Temper Kindness, Ease.”
It’s a weird and wonderful moment of the 18th century antithetical mix of highfalutin popular culture.
This book was owned by Henry Glanville Sharp, an early president and member of the Oxford Anthropological Society. He matriculated at Queen’s College, Oxford in 1864-6, worked in the University Museum, and joined the Bengal Civil Service.