The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. New Revised Edition. Ilustrated by Nathan Gluck

Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Co. Inc, 1958. Octavo (21.5 x 14.5 cm.), 362 pages. Third Edition, Revised. Perhaps the last of the classic cocktail books, a bookend of sorts to all of the pioneers that came before. Embury was nothing if not opinionated and blunt about expressing himself, so it comes as no surprise that David Wondrich puts him squarely in the "You may not know it, my friend, but you're drinking horse piss" school of drink writing. In this third, and some many think best, edition of the The Fine Art, Embury documents new changes in the cocktails he has included, and expands on his philosophy a good bit, including further comments on why a martini made with vodka is "a monstrosity". In addition to this information, this edition sports a true Mad Men- inspired dust jacket design, with a tasty photo by John Reed on the cover. Slight tide-line to bottom edge of publisher's yellow cloth, and a small chip to the head of the spine; in a price dust jacket, not price-clipped, with some wear to head of the spine and a light water stain to bottom edge (mostly visible on the interior of the jacket). Very near very good.