OP: 5 Books on Rector's
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Various, 1927, 1928, 1933, 1938, 1949. Hardcovers. Fair and better.
Father and son team Charles and George Rector made their fortunes catering to high society during the Gilded Age, first opening a then novel seafood restaurant in Chicago in 1884 and later setting their sights on the theater district of New York City in 1899. The Rectors cultivated a see-and-be-seen environment for their wealthy and famous clientele. They, and their restaurants, built reputations much larger than life.
We’re pleased to offer five titles exalting the fine cuisine of the famous (and, at times, infamous) restaurants and their owners. The first four are written by George Rector (1878–1947), a skilled raconteur who paints a vibrant portrait of the storied atmosphere he helped build and refine. The fifth book, written by stage and film actor Alexander Kirkland (1901–1986), is a nostalgic retrospective which reveals how dazzling the lore of Rector’s was, well beyond its heyday.
All five books are in Fair or better condition. Three among these (asterixed) were acquired from the personal collection of food writer and editor Colman Andrews.
The Girl from Rector’s (1927) is George Rector’s colorfully written memoir, borrowing the title from the Broadway musical which made Rector’s a household name but also gave it a reputation as a place of impropriety. Stated first edition, lacking the jacket. General rubbing to the boards and splitting at the front hinge. Gift inscribed to the front free endpaper, otherwise a totally clean interior.
*The Rector Cookbook (1928), other than a self-congratulatory introduction, is composed only of the restaurant’s array of cosmopolitan recipes. Stated fifth edition—issued by The Milwaukee Road railway, which served the midwest and employed George Rector as the dining car director. Splitting at both the front and rear hinges but holding sturdy. Otherwise, lightly rubbed boards and clean inside, save for staining from high acid paper at the front and rear only. George Rector’s obituary in the Los Angeles Herald-Express laid in. Signed and inscribed by George Rector and General Passenger Agent W. B. Dixon (in one hand, more likely Dixon’s than Rector’s), dated 1932.
A la Rector (1932) is a slim book (110 pages) of recipes and humorous headnotes issued by the Atlantic and Pacific (A & P) Tea Company. Later printing, dated 1933, with heavy wear about the edges and missing the front free endpaper. The book block is otherwise clean and unmarked. A & P Carnival Chicago World’s Fair 1933 bookmark listing cooking terms and conversions laid in. Second color illustrations throughout. Signed by George Rector to the half title.
*Dine at Home with Rector (1937)—subtitled A Book on What Men Like, Why They Like It, and How to Cook It—comprises, unsurprisingly, Rector’s somewhat brash philosophies on food and cooking with a handful of recipes embedded in the prose. Stated fourth printing from 1938. A bible verse newspaper clipping is taped to the front free endpaper with a previous owner’s name stamped above, and two poems (one Norman Levy and one Ogden Nash) are penned to the rear free endpaper. Light soiling; no jacket.
*Rector’s Naughty ‘90s Cookbook (1949) by Kirkland, draws from three generations of Rectors’ recipes, many of which had never been published before. Each chapter begins with a brief profile and black and white photo of one of the well-known regulars, all of whom had dishes named after them: actress Lillian Russell, businessman Diamond Jim Brady, boxer Gentleman Jim Corbett, and socialite Lillie Langtry, to name a few. Stated first edition, showing sun bleaching and wear to the top and bottom edges of the case. The jacket is rubbed and chipping, both flaps detached but present. The interior, at least, is totally clean and unmarked.
Five volumes.
