OP: Gastronomie Pratique

Ernest Flammarion, Paris, 1923. Hardcover. Good Plus. Fourth edition.

The author of this monumental treatise on gastronomy, Henri Babinski (1855–1931), was a mining engineer and the child of Polish émigrés to Paris. In his fifties, after a successful career and early retirement, he explored what had been a growing interest in food and wine. Taking the pen-name Ali-Bab, he produced this highly influential work.

First published in 1907 under the name Gastronomie Pratique: Études Culinaires, the book was primarily intended as a systematic treatment of cuisine and its history, covering all of the fundamental techniques and operations to be carried out in the kitchen, as well as providing instructions for basic cooking preparations such as stocks and spice mixtures. 

Until an abridged edition appeared in English in 1974, Gastronomie Pratique had not been translated. Large portions of the original text were removed, and the translation did not do justice to the original. Naturellement, the only way to enjoy it in its entirety is in French, as we offer here. 

Ours is a 1923 fourth edition, handsomely half-leather-bound with marbled boards. The leather is cracking, particularly at the head and foot of the spine, but the binding remains sturdy. Good Plus with wear evident to the case and light soiling throughout. Some pages remain unopened. Ribbon marker attached. Top edge gilt. Bookseller label for Corner Book Store on front pastedown.