Why Collect Books on Food and Drink?

Culinary Exploration and Learning: Food and drink books often contain recipes, techniques, and knowledge from various cultures and time periods. Collecting these books allows you to explore different cuisines, learn new cooking methods, and understand the historical and cultural contexts of food.

Cultural Preservation: Many books on food and drink preserve culinary traditions that might otherwise be lost. By collecting these books, you contribute to the preservation of these traditions and gain insights into the ways people from different regions and eras lived and ate.

Inspiration and Creativity: For anyone who enjoys cooking or mixology, food and drink books can be a rich source of inspiration. Whether you’re looking for new recipes to try, innovative flavor combinations, or fresh ideas for presentation, these books can spark creativity in the kitchen.

Historical Interest: Food and drink books, especially older or rare editions, can provide a fascinating glimpse into the past. They reveal how eating habits, ingredients, and culinary practices have evolved over time, offering a unique lens through which to study history.

Aesthetic Appreciation: Many food and drink books are beautifully designed, with high-quality photography, illustrations, and thoughtful layouts. For collectors, the aesthetic value of these books can be as important as the content. They often serve as coffee table books, adding a visual appeal to a space.

Social Connection: Food is inherently social, and collecting books on food and drink can create opportunities to connect with others who share similar interests. Whether through cooking together, discussing the books, or hosting themed dinners based on recipes from your collection, these books can enhance social bonds.

Personal Legacy: Over time, a collection of food and drink books can become a personal legacy, reflecting your tastes, interests, and culinary journey. It can be passed down to future generations, offering them not just knowledge and recipes, but also a piece of your personal history.

Collecting books on food and drink merges the love of cooking, history, culture, and art into a single, fulfilling hobby. Each book added to a collection is not just an acquisition but an opportunity to deepen your understanding and appreciation of the culinary world.

Featured Books from Our Collection

Études Sur La Bière, Ses Maladies, Causes Qui Les Provoquent, Procédé Pour La Rendre Inaltérable Avec Une Théorie Nouvelle De La Fermentation: Studies On Beer (1876). This first edition of Louis Pasteur’s important study of fermentation in which “he discovered that contamination of beer was caused by micro-organisms found in the air and not spontaneously generated as had been previously believed. He made possible the scientific processing of beer, wine, milk, and other perishable products.” Source: Heirs of Hippocrates, 1898. Illustrated with 12 lithographic plates and 85 figures in the text. Ink name to the head of the title page. Wrappers creased and rubbed with a minor amount of chipping to the base of the spine, not affecting the text. Binding nice and tight. Pages nice and clean. Very good indeed. Scarce in original wrappers.
Price: £295.00

Tractatus Novi De Potu Caphe, De Chinensium The Et De Chocolata: Dufour, Philippe Sylvestre: Published by Apud Petrum Muguet, Paris, France. Date: 1685. First edition thus. Bound in later but not modern full vellum. Size: 9.6cm x 14.1cm. Text in Latin. Title in ink to the spine. pp. 8 including engraved frontispiece + 202 + 4 index. Engraved printer’s ornament to the title page. Engraved frontispiece illustration is of a man from the Orient holding a cup of coffee, a man from China holding a cup of tea, and a native of Mexico holding a cup of chocolate. Bound without the engraved frontispieces to each of the two later parts with no evidence of their ever being present. Jacob Spon’s translation of ‘Traités nouveaux et curieux du caffé, du thé et du chocolate’, published in Lyon in 1685, which is an enlarged edition of ‘De l’vsage du caphé, du thé et du chocolate’ dating from 1671. Binding with minor age-marking but nice and tight. Minor worm holes to the final few pages, rear paste-down and rear hinge. A very good indeed, tight, clean copy. Very scarce.
Price: £295.00

French Provincial Cooking Signed By The Author, Elizabeth David (£495.00) Published by Michael Joseph, London, UK. Date: 1977. 2nd edition, third impression. Original boards. Dustwrapper. Size: 16cm x 23.4cm. Pp. 519. Generally regarded as the best of David’s works on cuisine, this focuses on the regional cookery of France. Illustrated by Juliet Renny. Signed by Elizabeth David to the title page. Binding nice and tight. Pages nice and clean. Cloth very slightly faded, creased, and rubbed. A near fine, tight, clean copy in near fine, very bright and clean, slightly creased and rubbed dustwrapper. Very scarce signed and a very nice copy indeed.
Price: £495.00

Why Buy from Us?

Authenticity and Provenance: Every book is researched, collated, and verified for authenticity.
Expert Curation: Each book is selected with a keen eye for significance, condition, and rarity, ensuring a collection that is both diverse and distinguished.
Customer Satisfaction: We strive to provide an exceptional customer experience, from detailed descriptions and provenance to secure and prompt delivery of your purchase.
Returns Policy: We offer an unconditional guarantee on every item. If you wish to make a return, books may be sent back to us within fourteen days of receipt for any reason. We request advance notification of returns, and books must be returned in the same condition as sent for a full refund.

Explore Our Collection:

Visit Hornseys to explore our fine collection of rare and signed books. Whether you are an avid collector or looking for a special gift, our selection offers something truly unique. Located in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales, our Ripon gallery has been a haven for book lovers, art enthusiasts, and collectors since 1976.