Books and Manuscripts

(London, ca. 1720-30s). First edition (with "Queen Street near St. Thomas Apostles" on title-page, includes sheet K2, including plate "Lamb Pastey...", printed text running through signatures at bottom of plates F2 and H1, and without "fins" on index leaf). 8vo. Comprising an engraved frontispiece portrait of Kidder by Robert Sheppard, engraved title-page, 40 leaves of engraved recipes (printed on rectos only), engraved leaf "The Order for Bills of Fair" (printed on recto only), engraved index leaf (printed on recto only), and eight engraved plates (three folding); lacking ad leaf as called for in Bitting, as usual. Full polished brown calf, stamped in blind and in gilt, morocco spine label, ownership initials stamped in blind on front board; edges stained red; marbled endpapers; headline of L2 shaved close. Bitting 259; ESTC T92423 and T92424 (though likely misdated, as per other copies that have been offered on the market).

A scarce cookbook, likely produced by pastry master Edward Kidder (1665/66-1739) for his students, in conjunction with one of his cooking classes, at one of the earliest cooking schools in England to include the instruction of baked goods.

There is some conjecture over when this edition was printed, as the volume is undated, with ESTC (T92423 and T92424) positing this as a 1740 reissue with all the points noted above, yet, a copy of this edition sold at Swann in 2016 and included a 1733/34 ownership inscription, thus indicating otherwise. Virginia McLean offers a date of publication of around 1725, and Bitting slightly earlier. Another copy noted in ESTC (T92423) has a slightly different title-page with the location of Kidder's school at St. Martins instead of St. Thomas. The auction record notes only one copy, from 2005, with the alternate St. Martins title-page, and that copy was defective. This edition, with the St. Thomas address, while more common, is still scarce. A near-fine example.