OP: A Cookbook for Booksellers

Here is a bit of a novelty, one not well-known to the public at large—a collection of recipes put together in 1965 as a whimsical little gift to booksellers from Craig Claiborne who was, at the time, the food editor of the New York Times. Based mainly on mentions in literature, each of the dozen dishes is accompanied by a quotation and a portrait of the author who inspired the entry. 

There are an even dozen such in this nicely made 36 page hardcover volume. We won’t mention them all because it is satisfying to make some discoveries of your own. However, we do see an oyster stew inspired by Lord Byron, a Madras curry favored by Jos Sedley in Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, boeuf en daube from Virginia Woolf, and (of course) a standing rib roast from Samuel Johnson—with Yorkshire pudding thrown in as a bonus.

The book, published by the New York Times—without dust jacket—is bound with yellow paper over boards and a pictorial label on the front. It is in Very Good minus condition, with very light edgewear and some chipping of the paper about the spine, exposing the boards underneath. Some staining to the front and rear covers. Delightful.