OP: The Book of Bread

Maclaren & Sons, London, ND [1903]. Hardcover. Good Plus.

Now here is something truly iconic. The Book of Bread (1902) is highly prized, not only in the food world but also among photographers and conceptual artists. It is one of the most thrilling items we’ve had in the shop.

Written by Owen Simmons, co-founder of the National Bakery School in London and contributor to trade journal The British Baker, the book is an exceptional technical treatise on bread making and its science. What sets The Book of Bread apart, however, is the inclusion of 12 chromolithograph plates, 8 tipped-in black and white photographs, and 2 silver bromide prints.

Simmons notes that achieving the photographic excellence he required involved extensive experimentation and cost. Representing the most cutting edge technology of the period, the photographs are printed in the loaves’ actual sizes and reproduce, to the fullest extent, the whiteness of the crumb. A high production value and unlike anything else seen at the time or since.

The true first printing was issued in 1902 and bound in red morocco. All ten of the tipped in prints were silver bromide. Roughly 350 copies were made of that deluxe edition, and it is rarely seen.

The trade edition, which we offer here, came out in 1903 (Bitting 435). It is bound in green cloth with the title stamped in gilt. (Also printed at the same time was a somewhat misleadingly styled “edition de luxe” printed for subscribers listed in additional pages of advertisements. This variation was similarly bound in green but distinguishable by the added pages and a different style border decoration.) 

The photographer, alas, is never named. Exquisite, nonetheless. 

The interior of our copy, graded Good Plus, shows minor foxing and some chipping and creasing to the tipped in photos. The case is shelfworn and bears water damage and discoloration to both the front and rear boards. 

This copy was acquired from renowned baker and instructor Andrew Janjigian, who has written extensively about The Book of Bread, and we are honored to facilitate its journey to a new owner.