DESCRIPTION ET DETAILS DES ARTS DU MEUNIER, DU VERMICELIER, ET DU BOULENGER; Avec une Histoire Abre gée de al Boulengerie, & un Dictionnaire de ces Arts.
Paris: [Saillant et Nyon], 1767. First Edition. Hardcover. Text in French. Folio: iv, 340 pp. with 10 engraved plates. Bound in a contemporary style: marbled paper-covered boards over a brown calf spine with a red morocco spine label, six raised bands, and gilt-stamped titling, borders, and decoration. Each of the plates is stamped "patent office library" on the verso. The contents are otherwise clean, with only some light toning. Neglible wear to the corners. Scarce. Vicaire 554; Maggs 276.
Detailed description of bread making and milling, written by the eminent French chemist and physician. The work begins with a history of baking and milling, proceeds to the art of making thin spaghetti, then the art of baking, and concludes with a glossary of terminology. The fine illustrations depict the milling process, the making of spaghetti, techniques for baking bread, bakeries in action, and the equipment used.
This treatise constitutes one of the volumes of the monumental Description of Arts and Crafts, launched under Colbert but published late, between 1761 and 1788, under the aegis of the Royal Academy of Sciences. The series foreshadows Diderot's Encyclopedia, with the same scientific and technical aims, and a similar pedagogy of images. Item #80458
Price: $1,000.00