La Cuisine Creole: A Collection of Culinary Recipes, From Leading Chefs and Noted Creole Housewives, Who Have Made New Orleans Famous for its Cuisine

New York: Will H. Coleman, 1885. Octavo (19.7 x 15 cm.), 268 pages. Index. FIRST EDITION, state "A" according to BAL, with the Introduction one and a half pages long, and with the word Brulot with an accent instead of an umlaut (state "B" has a one page Introduction and the word Brulot has an umlaut). A classic American cookbook, and one of the great books of Creole cooking, as it compiles recipes of one of the great American regional cuisines. Included with the other categories is an interesting short section on the service of wine, and a list of cocktails and other drinks, including, of course, coffee. One of the first two books on the subject, it was anonymously printed in 1885, but it has been generally accepted that Lafcadio Hearn is the author. In the same year, the Woman's Christian Exchange of New Orleans published The Creole Cookery Book. Both books were issued to be marketed to the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition (December 1884 – June 1885). Since this original issue, La Cuisine Creole has been in almost continuous print. ~ Light dampstain to lower fore corner of first few leaves, otherwise the text block is clean and sound. Dusty pink endpapers a bit creased and lightly soiled. Some mottling and dampstain to the lower fore corner of the front and rear boards of the publisher's light brown cloth. Head of spine a bit bumped and one small nick to the edge of the rear board. The cloth is gilt and black-titled and decorated. Overall, a near very good copy. [OCLC records forty-eight copies; Blank (state A) 7913; Perkins, Lafcadio Hearn, A Bibliography, page 10; Johnson, American First Editions, page 94; BAL 7913; Bitting, page 221; Cagle 348; Uhler 115 (later edition)].