Bread & Butter French

Boston/Providence: C.S. Cook/Livermore & Knight, 1897. Sewn booklet, [24] pages. FIRST EDITION. An early guide to simple French for the English-speaking tourist. The author claims, “This little book is imperfect and incomplete, but it will enable the owner to speak French enough to get about Paris…” The book is divided into sections on the Hotel, Railway Station, Public Carriages, About Bread and Coffee, Midday Meal, Dinner, About Wines, Things for Men, Things for Women, and then general numbers and vocabulary. Sections are interspersed with helpful hints, such as “Pinch your nose when you say anything ending in n, in order to achieve the nasal sound desirable.” Wine vocabulary includes translations for Good Red Wine (St. Jullien), and Good White Wine (Sauterne), revealing some contemporary prejudices. There is a little bit of pencil annotation to the wine page and to one other, otherwise very good, in printed pale green canvas wrappers with a pocket in the front. Bit of edge wear and light soiling to wrappers, otherwise very good. Rare. [OCLC locates four copies of the 1907 second edition only (only one in the US), and none of this first edition].