OP: The Standard Cocktail Guide
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Crosby Gaige (1882–1949), born in upstate New York, is probably most well-known as one of the leading producers of Broadway shows in the early 20th century. Besides making a healthy fortune producing 150 plays, Gaige was also a gourmand and wine collector. So significant was his wine collection that he had it safely stored in London until the repeal of the 18th Amendment.
By the late 1920s, Gaige was contributing to Country Life magazine, of which he became food and wine editor, and The Atlantic Monthly. In 1941 he published his first cocktail manual, which even included some of his own creations, Crosby Gaige’s Cocktail Guide and Ladies’ Companion. The Standard Cocktail Guide (1944), which we offer here, was a distilled version of that book, primarily for home use, witty but serious in its goal of creating excellent and lively hosts.
Our copy is a clothbound stated first printing—though it seems comb bound copies were produced simultaneously—in Very Good Minus condition. The case is shelfworn, particularly along the top edge, and shows ring stains to the front board, the coaster-sized book serving dual purposes in its life. The jacket, while largely intact, is heavily chipped about the edges, particularly to the front, bottom. None of the text is impacted. A reasonable reference copy.