[Rarebooks] FS: The oldest collection of recipes from antiquity: Apicius' "De Re Culinaria..." Lyon: 1541

[Kenneth Karmiole]

(COOKERY) Apicius, Coelius.    .... DE RE CULINARIA LIBRI DECEM. B. Platinae... De Tuenda Valetudine... Pauli Aeginetae, De Facultatibus Alimentorum... Albano Torino Interprete. Lyon: Seb. Gryphium. 1541. Sm. 8vo. 314,(14)pp. Index. Woodcut printer's device on title and verso of final leaf. Some light soiling in a few sections of the text, but overall a very decent copy in its orig. binding of full vellum, spine hand lettered (faded). Some old soiling of the vellum, and top of spine with a small abrasion.                                 $2,000.00 (trade discount allowed)
Apicius is believed to have compiled this work in the late 4th or early 5th century. It is the oldest collection of recipes to survive from antiquity. There is a great deal devoted to wine and its medicinal (and other) uses. The first printing is Milan 1498, an extremely rare book. There are 2 editions in 1541, Lyon and Basel, and, as the dedication of our Lyon edition, reprints that of the Basel edition, it appeared first, Lyon second. All early printed editions are very scarce. See Bitting. GASTONOMIQUE BIBLIOG., p. 11; Vicaire. BIBLIOG. GASTRONOMIQUE column 31; Smon. BIBLIOG. GASTRON. #123; Simon. BIBL. BACCHIA #527; Adams. A1300; Wellcome Medical Library #351. NLM 16th century #232.

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