The Physiology of Taste; Or, Transcendental Gastronomy. Illustrated by Anecdotes of Distinguished Artists and Statesmen of Both Continents.
Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston, 1854.
First American edition and first English translation. xx, 25-347, [5] pp. with four advertising pages at rear. Bound in publisher's brown cloth ornately stamped in blind and gilt, top edge gilt. Near Fine with light wear to covers and shallow chipping at spine ends, and foxing to contents and textblock edges. Ownership signature in old hand to front free endpaper. Lowenstein 639.
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was a French lawyer and politician whose otherwise successful career was briefly interrupted by the French Revolution. The cheerful gourmand bounced back after a few years of exile and dedicated his free time to wine, women, and the violin -- and good meals. Written over many years and published shortly before the author's death, The Physiology of Taste is a compendium of recipes, culinary musings, and chit-chat and anecdotes meant to enliven the dinner table. It is a seminal work of gastronomical writing and the origin of the phrase "You are what you eat."
Price: $5,500