Extremely sought after original edition of this manual illustrated dedicated to the study of coffee.
Martin, Alexandre. Manual for the coffee lover or the art of always having good coffee, work Containing several new, easy and economical methods, to prepare coffee and make the drink healthier and more pleasant, dedicated to gourmets, good housewives, etc., etc.
Paris, Audot, 1828.
In-18 of vii pp., 84 pp., (1) f. of table, 2 folding plates, 12 pp. of catalog. Half red glazed calf with corners, smooth spine richly decorated, black morocco title piece, original printed blue covers preserved. E. Carayon.
143 x 88 mm.
Rare extremely sought after original edition of this small romantic manual dedicated to the study of coffee.
Vicaire, Gastronomic Bibliography, 569-570; Mueller, Bibliography des coffee, 140. Not in Bitting.
The author addresses numerous subjects such as the cultivation of coffee and its harvest, the different species of coffee, its preparation, the way of serving it, consuming it, its influence on the mind and stomach, etc. He even devotes chapter X of his treatise to the cafés of Paris.
Martin, whose name does not appear on the title but only his pseudonym “H“, defines himself as “Dean of the regulars of the Café de Foi“.
The present manual is thus illustrated with two very beautiful colored folding engraved plates, one by H. Monnier, depicting a gourmet drinking a cup of coffee, the other illustrating a branch of an Arab coffee plant, painted by P. Bessa and engraved by Maria Gabriel Coignet.
Precious copy in perfect condition.
