A rather technical work by a leader in his field. Among the positions Singleton has held are as research chemist at Lederle Labs, American Cyanamid from 1951 to 1954, and as biochemist for the Pineapple Research Institute, University of Hawaii, 1954-58. His honorary degrees include a D.Sc. from the University of Stellenbosch, 1983.

The first edition consisted of 200 copies "de luxe" numbered 1 to 200, and an additional 1300 copies. This is one of the 1300, not numbered. The preface is by Joseph Rey, Deputy Mayor of Colmar. He talks about the importance of viticulture to Colmar and that through the centuries it has been one of the most lucrative economic activities. "Its wines have always enjoyed great renown, their commerce has been the principal source of prosperity for our city …" Studies by Mossmann, Waldner, Scherlen and others have only covered parts of the subject, and that is why we appreciate this book, since it gives us complete information on the viticulture and the wine of Colmar [page (7)]. The earliest reference to vines is dated 865, though the first detailed reference is dated 1148. The author follows the historic trail through to the 19th and 20th centuries. Sittler lived in Colmar and had been its archivist since 1934.

During our visit to Colmar in 1966, we saw the wine vat in the Unterlinden Museum that is reproduced in this book (facing page 80). Because of my interest in the language of wine, I carefully copied the inscription on the vat for my records. Naturally, the same day or the next, I bought this book in Colmar and saw the inscription reproduced on page 63. Here, whether you want it or not, is an English version: "Here I sit, big pot-belly, with my grape juice, which gives courage to the healthy, strength and energy to the sick. Whoever partakes of it, with moderation and timeliness, the Lord will make happy, fill his heart with joy, but he who abuses it and boozes day and night, will be deprived of money and body and soul." The vat maker also inscribed his name and date: "[?19th] November, Peter Meier, 1781."

First edition, printed 15 November 1969, consists of 300 copies numbered 1 to 300, and twenty not for sale numbered I to XX. This is copy number "133." A detailed and interesting survey of the wines of Alsace, following the Alsatian Wine Trail from Marlenheim in the north, near Strasbourg to Thann in the south, a good distance beyond Colmar. This "Route du Vin de l'Alsace" was inaugurated in 1953 and covers a winding trail considerable longer than its 80 kilometers as the crow flies. For many years, from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution, wine growing was in the hands of tenant farmers. During the Middle Ages, Alsatian wine was regarded as the best in Europe, although little was known about the grape varieties employed. As "noble" varieties were introduced, growers were generally required to mix them with ordinary varieties, for fear that ordinary wine would suffer. This was still true in the 19th century, as reported by "the famous wine grower" Stoltz. However, there were some localities, including Riqewihr where ordinary varieties were not permitted, according to a regulation dated 1575. The Riesling, originating in France rather than Germany, was first mentioned in 1644. Last came Gewürztraminer, existing as early as 1850, cultivated successfully at Colmar in 1900. Most disastrous for Alsace was the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century. In the 18th century Alsace became French and wine growing expanded, but the quality of the wine went down. With the French Revolution came mass changes of ownership, but the markets favored French wines over Alsatian. With a return to Germany in 1870, the hoped for German markets materialized only as wines downgraded for mixing with German wines. The wine growers finally organized in Colmar in 1895 and had some success thereafter, until the return to France in 1918, when they found they could not compete with French wines. This led to a call for the elimination of hybrids and an upgrading of vineyards, which continued until World War 2, and resumed thereafter [pages 8-30, passim]. This very absorbing historical background is followed by a detailed trip through the wine towns of Alsace, together with anecdotes and citations from various authors.

A German edition was published in 1980: Die Elsässische Weinstrasse : von Wissembourg bis Thann; 27 Fotos von Willy Pragher, 32 Illustrationen und 3 Kartenskizzen von E.H. Cordier. Freiburg: Rombach, c1980. 131 p., [24] p. of plates, ill., maps; 19 cm. [Melvyl].

Grape varieties covered are Alden, Athens, Bath, Buffalo, Canada Muscat, Eden, Erie, Hanover, Hector, Kendaia, Naples, New York Muscat, Ruby, Schuyler, Steuben, Van Buren, Watkins, Westfield, Yates.

"First Edition. Published November 1939." By February of 1940, this book was in its fifth printing. A friendly view of alcohol, with chapters on physiology, pharmacology, liquor and sex, psychology, and case histories.

"Our edition is based on the very beautiful and fine 1734 reprint by Domenico Maria Manni in Florence of the famous first de' Giunti edition of 1600." Soderini was born in 1526. His father, a Florentine Senator, was inclined to poetry and a sonnet of his was published in 1567. Giovanvettorio studied philosophy and law in Bologna, and on his return to Florence he was admitted to the celebrated Accademia Fiorentina in 1544. At the time of his death in 1596, Giunti had already made plans to publish Soderini's treatise. [pages 11-24]. For the original edition see Simon BG 1398 and BBII 622. Editions of 1600, 1610 and 1734 are listed in Simon BV, pages 83 and 133.

The Soderini entry in the Fritsch sale catalog (#67) gives us another view: "The author … was born in 1526 into a family which had given a dictator to the Republic and a cardinal to the church. He got mixed up in a plot against the Medicis. He was condemned to death and was saved only by the generosity of Ferdinand I who banished him to Volterra. During this exile he studied agriculture. The Academy of the Crusca placed his treatise on viticulture on the list of its testi di lingua. It contains precepts on viticulture and also on enology. Soderini assigns a big role to the stars. He recommends for example … that vintages take place when the moon is in a particular sign and is waning, for «if one harvests less wine, at least one is certain of its quality and preservation» …"

Produced by the Public Relations Department of Die Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika, in collaboration with J. Walter Thompson Company South Africa, Cape Town. The first edition of this promotional item which saw many later editions and printings. It's interesting that the recipes for cup drinks and punches call for "your favourite inexpensive table wine," not South African wine specifically. Perhaps the message is that South African wines are too good for a punch.

Produced by the Public Relations Department of Die Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika, in collaboration with J. Walter Thompson Company South Africa, Cape Town. First published 1959. Revised and enlarged 1962. There are a few added chapters and their sequence has been changed. Some of the illustrations are new. A third revised and enlarged edition (78 pages) was issued in 1968.

Includes "Essay on Grape Culture" by R. M. Sims, Lancaster, SC. "We have gained two very material points in the progress of grape-culture in this country, in having established the facts that the foreign grape can not be grown here to perfection, and to any extent in the open air; and that the native species are capable of the highest improvement …"

An unusual "cocktail" book. Drinks are organized in 8 chapters (iced, summer, mixed, hot, sherbets, punches, cordials, fruit) and range from non-alcoholic to quite alcoholic. I assume they reflect the taste of the time. For example, here's the recipe for Whey: "Put sweet milk on the fire and as soon as it boils add enough white wine to curdle it. Boil up again, when the curds will settle to the bottom. Strain, sweeten to taste and serve hot." [page 49]. No doubt this one was non-alcoholic by the time it was drunk, if it ever actually was drunk.

Bitting (page 442) lists the revised edition of 1906.

The material is organized in four books, of which the first presents an annotated list of 50 grape varieties, and discusses the management of the vine in the hot-house. Book 2 is on the vinery and includes observations on pruning and watering. Book 3 covers grafting, insect control, and remarks on the age and size attained by vines. Book 4 (pages 183-209) is on vineyards, which Speechly feels he needs to discuss, since a part of England is "within the vinous latitude." Since these latitudes correspond with wine growing areas in Germany, he recommends "the kinds of Vines cultivated in Germany, and particularly the sort producing the grapes of which the Rhenish wine is made, in preference to any kind cultivated in France." To provide an example of what can be done with vineyards in England, he quotes Edward Barry's account of the success of the Pain's-Hill vineyard of Charles Hamilton, who gave Barry a description of what he had accomplished. Hamilton reported that he had no success making red wine from his two Burgundy varieties – Auvernat and Miller – but that he then made white wine instead. "… for the very first year I made white wine, it nearly resembled the flavour of Champaign; and in two or three years more … my wine had a finer flavour than the best Champaign I ever tasted … It would be endless to mention how many good judges of wine were deceived by my wine, and thought it superior to any Champaign they ever drank; but such is the prejudice of most people against anything of English growth, I generally found it most prudent not to declare where it grew, till after they had passed their verdict upon it …" [pages 204-206]. However, I don't think Speechly was convinced that vineyards were a real option. In the preface he says that "… it may seem doubtful whether wine can be made in this country to any considerable national advantage: But still we find, by experience, that by artificial means, even the latest kinds of grapes may be brought to almost as high a degree of perfection as they are in their own native soils and climes …"

A rather amusing view of Speechly's treatise comes from the Fritsch sale catalog (item 115): "If Speechly had not been a celebrated agronomist, we would readily have classified him among literary madmen, for his treatise aims at nothing other than to plant vines, harvest, and make wine in Albion! As if cider, ale, gin and tea were no longer enough to cultivate the humour and phlegm of the natives. It's true that his treatise was published at the height of the French Revolution, at a time when the Chambertins and the Margaux, the Romanées and the Condrieux could well be missing!" After continuing with more straightforward description, it goes on: "At the end, there are several accounts of proprietors who made English wine, and find that it is as good as the wines of France or Spain. By the crown of Bacchus, there's someone a bit high on alcohol!"

Although this is sometimes listed as the first edition [e.g. Fritsch, Sotheby's], I have seen a dealer listing of a 1789 edition. Perhaps the date was taken from Speechly's preface, which is dated at Welbeck, May 1, 1789. Also, Joseph Thompson in his review of 1828, included at the end of the book, says that his and Thomas Hunt's "endeavors [in 1785 and 1786] for improvement were only exceeded by … our worthy master [Speechly]. He had been upwards of seven years … writing his Treatise on the Vine, the manuscript copy of which was at that time in a forward state …" In another reference he notes that "previous to the publication of his book in 1789 …" The best evidence comes from Simon, who lists both 1789 and 1790 editions, with somewhat differing titles (BV page 50). A second edition was published in 1805, the third in 1820.

From the Dictionary of National Biography: "In 1797 Sir John Sinclair (1754-1835) when president of the board of agriculture, contemplated issuing a comprehensive work on agriculture, and, at his request, Speechly undertook the sections on gardening and domestic rural economy. But in the following year the project was laid aside, and in 1800 Speechly's manuscript was returned to him at his own request. Soon after ‘a severe domestic loss’ … Speechly relinquished his post of gardener at Welbeck Abbey, and undertook the management of a farm." Later he enlarged and completed his manuscript on rural economy and published it in 1820. Speechly's 1779 Treatise on the Culture of the Pine Apple and this 1790 treatise on the vine were republished in one volume in 1820.

Although the format is considerably smaller, the text of this edition appears to be identical to that of the 1790 edition. The plates have been reduced in size, are not quite as clearly printed, and several are reversed, left to right. This edition not listed by Simon.

The title-page for the Grant Richards catalog is also dated 1899. Spencer explains in his preface (dated Christmas Eve, 1898) that the content of this book is "for the most part, the voice of the great ones of the past, including Pliny and Gervase Markham. The matter … is culled from other sources; and if this is the most useful and interesting work ever published it is more my fortune than my fault." The author surveys the subject of drink through history, beginning with the "awful habits of the ancients" to the temperance movement of his day. Included are chapters on all the various alcoholic drinks, including wine, and numerous recipes for mixed drinks of all kinds, interspersed with mostly lame attempts at humor. Here's a sample of his more serious side: "… the decline and fall of port in British estimation may be said to be due, mainly, to the following causes: inferiority of most of the modern vintages, the introduction of whisky, the present taste for lighter wines, such as the cheaper clarets and burgundies, with wines of Germany and Italy, and a sort of ‘boom’ in wines from Australia and California. These last-named, however, are but seldom seen at the tables of the wealthy; and thus far the demand for the productions of gallant little Wales have not been in any great request, although the demand is said to be equal to the supply." [page 141].

There was a sixth edition published in London 1925. Edward Spencer (Mott) was a pseudonym for Nathaniel Gubbins [Mott?]. For a time he was a strolling actor. In Who Was Who his recreations are listed as gambling, in the earlier days; later gardening, trimming hedges and country walks.

The poem is presented in 14 chapters (+ prologue and epilogue), consisting of two introductory historical chapters, then 12 chapters, each treating an element of Alsatian gastronomy – choucroute, pâté de foie gras, meats, fowl, fish, snails and frogs, pâtés, pastries and cakes, vegetables and mushrooms, fruits, liqueurs, wines. Recipes for each chapter follow at the end of the poem. There is also a list of the best wine growths of Alsace, and an index of all the recipes. Bitting (page 445).

Spooner presents a rather interesting miscellany of information on grape culture in America – history of foreign and American vines, soil and climate, propagation methods, pruning, manuring, insects and diseases, and wine making. He ranks the Scuppernong first among American varieties, followed by Isabella and Catawba. "In making Scuppernong wine, one sixth of its quantity of proof spirits is added. Sugar or water is said to spoil it." [page 49]. Adlum regarded the Catawba as his best wine grape, while Longworth claimed that the Catawba was superior as a wine grape to the Isabella. Spooner apparently was partial to the Isabella grape, from which he had made a wine in 1831 from cuttings planted in Brooklyn in 1827, believing himself to be "the first who had attempted to make wine of this grape …" But in 1832 he received a letter from Z. Lewis of Brooklyn, together with a bottle of Isabella wine made by him in September, 1830, following Adlum's recommendations. Spooner devotes a short chapter to the history of the Isabella grape, which had achieved general cultivation along the coast of the United States. "I hear of its cultivation as far North as Canada, but with what success I cannot learn. I should much doubt whether it would ripen well in Canada …" [13-16]. In the chapter "Conversations on Grapes" (American Institute 1846), Underhill talks about the Isabella. "It can be grown in favorable locations in Vermont, and probably in Canada." [67]. In October of 1843, Spooner and Meigs were the only two hardy souls who visited Underhill's vineyard at Croton Point. "Dr. U. met us on board the steam boat, and we went to Sing Sing, and thence in Dr. U's boat in 10 minutes to Croton Point, driven by a gale of wind … [The vineyard] was such a sight as probably was not to be seen elsewhere in America." [57-59]. As for the cultivation of foreign grapes, Spooner mentions unsuccessful efforts by Parmentier and Loubat, and his own unsuccessful efforts. He planted 50 foreign vines in 1827 and continued for several years, then gave up. [9].

Spooner quotes an interesting letter to the editor of the Southern Agriculturalist by "the late Mr. Adlum, of Georgetown" on the subject of making wine from immature grapes. Adlum says he had made wine which "was sometimes at three or four years old equal to the best Madeira, according to the opinions of good judges, and none of it so bad as the low priced rot gut wines now imported, such as your Malagas, Clarets … I have made wine of a Fox-grape that was pronounced by Mr. Jefferson and others, equal to the Burgundy of Chambertin, one of the best wines in France, and it was at the time compared with Burgundy he had on his table, imported by himself when he was President of the United States …" [74-76]. An amusing aside, on another subject – the evils of alcohol: "An American returned from Europe, says – ‘I have passed three years in France, where I never saw a drunken Frenchman. Eighteen months in Italy, and in that time not an Italian intoxicated. Nearly two years in Switzerland, of which I cannot say the same …’" but he saw no more than twenty there, invariably on a festive occasion. [54-55]. Spooner was quoting from S.I. Fisher's Observations on the character and culture of the European Vine, during a residence of five years in the Vine-growing districts of France, Italy, and Switzerland.

A second edition was published in Brooklyn, 1858 (Amerine 3098). Alden Spooner was born in Sag Harbor, Long Island, and died in Hempstead, LI. A longtime resident of Brooklyn, he edited the Evening Star and the Long Island Star Weekly, and contributed to the Knickerbocker and Colman's Monthly magazines. An antiquarian, he wrote historical works on Brooklyn and Long Island, and was the founder of the Long Island Historical Society. Another source (American Authors and Books) says that he was editor of the Long Island City Star, founded by his father, Alden Spooner. Is it possible that this book was actually written by his father (??).

Copyright 1932. First printing September 1932. Second printing October 1932. A compilation of cocktails and other mixed drinks, all based on gin, together with instructions. The preface is by J.B.S. "Each formula, if carefully followed, will make one's guests exclaim, ‘How do you do it?’ The answer is simple. Correct ingredients, correct proportions, correct handling, correct glass and correct serving … The basic ingredient, gin, can be made at home successfully …" J.B.S. acknowledges the contribution of his brother George.

Stafford's dissertation appears on pages 1-16, and is followed by the Treatise on Cyder, in eight sections. The unknown author, in his/her preface, says that some degree of knowledge of cyder-making has been "lately acquired, and Cyder has in proportion been more generally drank … … But this knowledge is far from being either general or perfect … Success is frequently the effect of chance, and the same person cannot from the same fruit, always produce the same liquor …" As cider is considered wholesome and is native to our country, a contribution to the public good is made by any person who "gives infallible directions for making it universally agreeable, by varying it so as to suit every palate, and by improving the flavour and the quality, … divesting it of its tendency to produce cholics, and giving it the sparkle of Champaign, without an eager and windy fermentation, and rendering it more spirituous than a small wine tho' less inflaming."

Although the author of the introductory "dissertation" is identified in its heading [page 1], and on the title-page, as Hugh Stafford of Pynes, the preface and the table of contents list him as Hugh Strafford of Pines. Noling, page 388. Not in Simon or Bitting. NUC locates only one copy in the US (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia).

In his prologue, Stambois claims that "regardless of the knowledge that you may possess relating to rare old authentic Grande Fin [sic] Champagne Vintage Cognacs, after the perusal of the contents, your knowledge will be extended to our mutual benefit and satisfaction …" He will postpone "mentioning some of the many interesting people that I have met … [since] I have written a book that will shortly be published …" But he feels he should mention Andre [sic] Saulnier, whom he met at Rizzi's restaurant in Paris, and who had "rare old authentic stocks of Grande Fin [sic] Champagne Vintage Cognacs …"

"In Great Britain, brandy is regarded alternatively as a medicine or as a sin. In the Charente, where it comes from, brandy is a mystery, a cult, almost a religion, and altogether a fine art." [page 3]. The text that accompanies an illustration on page 5 with caricatures of Stambois and his friends at a dinner, ends on this note: "Any who attend the dinners of the [Gourmets' and Connoisseurs'] Circle, held every few months, are liable to feel strange on the morning after, but all of them recognise that the cause makes the effect much more than worth while."

A scholarly study by a professor of geography at the University of Arizona, of the wine regions of Portugal, their history and development, their economic and cultural dimensions.

Stanislawski wrote several books on Mexico and Nicaragua – history and geography. He was a Fulbright professor at the University of Brazil, and also held positions at Syracuse University, Berkeley, University of Washington (Seattle), University of Pennsylvania and University of Texas. Contemporary Authors (1981) lists a work in progress: Historical Geography of the Wine Vine in the Eastern and Central Mediterranean Areas of Europe. But I don't know if it was ever published.

Senn explains his drink philosophy in the preface: "Alcohol, in one form or another, has been introduced in a number of the drinks described herein, notably so for cocktails and other drinks, cups, and punch, and whilst admitting that this ingredient is essential for the successful results of these drinkables, it is well to remember that the less alcohol one uses the better it is for those who imbibe the drinks … On the other hand, there will be found directions for hundreds of wholesome and refreshing non-alcoholic or soft drinks, so that all tastes have been well catered for." There are also recipes for home-made wines. Senn, though listed second on the title-page, appears to be the principal author. He was a chef and a Don of the Order of Le Cordon Rouge. He wrote a number of books on cookery and dining, 1900-1933. This title appears to be scarce.

Pages 19-134 are devoted to cocktails, and these are followed by one to several pages each for cobblers, collins, coolers, daisies, fizzes, rickies, sours, special drinks, punches, and non-alcoholic drinks, including the horse's neck and pussyfoot cocktails. Steele lists the drinks he prefers and which he "particularly recommends to his friends." They are: Algoma Darlin', Bar Nacional, E.H. Butler, Daiquiri, Everything But, French '75, Golden Dawn, His Royal Highness, Jack Rose (St. Regis), Marguerite, Marqueray, Millionaire's, Robinson Special, Statendam Special, Tobey Special, and White Lady. Among the special mixed drinks he recommends the Ramos Fizz (from the Ramos Bar in New Orleans. "It is also desired to give credit to Major R.A.C. Kane, that shining light of the St. James' Club, Montreal, one of the finest Citizens of the World whom the Compiler has ever met. His prescription of Egg Nog will be found authentic and satisfactory."

3. Auflage 1963. Stein takes us on a guided tour of the wine lands of Germany – Baden, Württemberg, Franken, Rheingau, Mittelrhein and Ahr, Mosel, Nahe, Rheinhessen and Pfalz. The first edition was published 1956, the second 1957, the sixth in 1976, all with the same number of pages.

First published in England by Chapman and Hall, 1926. This Knopf edition saw a second printing in 1928, a third in 1933, and at least one more in 1936. The author, together with her husband Johnny, and another couple, Rosemary and Humphrey, toured the wine country of France, with Humphrey at the wheel of his red Fiat, September 5th to October 8th, 1926. Stern tells an entertaining story. One of her pet peeves is the attitude of men to women in matters of wine, and she finds it difficult, as a woman, to write in praise of wine. "So many crusted connoisseurs believe that the ladies – God bless 'em! – are always happy if you give them Champagne, or a sweetish white wine like Barsac – and finish up with crême de menthe because it's such a pretty colour! – – The audacity! … Have I not had Romanée-Conti poured … by a man who had cooked for an emperor? And you would fob me off with Barsac! Even Château Yquem – but we are still a long way from Bordeaux, and the heresies that I shall presently utter against the monarch of Sauternes." [pages 1-2]. And that she does. With Louis Calvet as their guide, they are given a grand tour – after the Médoc – of the Sauternes district. At their lunch before the tour, they were served some very sweet Sauternes – in deference of course to the ladies, at which point the author did not much look forward to the visit to Château Yquem, even though her interest in wine had first been aroused by that wine some seven years earlier. "Why should we prefer sweet wine? Has not a woman eyes, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions, even as a man has? And have we not palates, intelligence, taste, subtlety, and a fastidious discrimination …?" But they finished the Sauternes – both bottles, out of politeness, then went on to Yquem, which was nevertheless a thrill for her. But upon hearing the story of the discovery of this wine, she "swore softly" at "that fatal year 1847, in which vineyards which might have produced wine fit for gentlemen to drink – ay, and even for ladies, God bless 'em! – produced instead this clinging, highly perfumed, luscious, and full-blooded horror known as the great wine of Sauternes!" Of course, the day had been hot and they had tasted far too many of these heady wines. After that, they headed for "a dinner at Libourne where we could choose the wine ourselves – dry wine, vin sec, not demi-sec, but sec, sec, sec!" [153-165]. And there you have a good sample of Stern's style. About their visit to Romanée-Conti, Stern remarked about the "disdainful smallness" of the cellars, which could have been held ten times over by Château Margaux. She felt that the small vineyard with its few sought-after barrels affected the staff who worked there. "I felt shy at Romanée-Conti. They were polite, and they were cordial, but – – But, in the Republic of France, they kept the key to the King's cellar." [220-223]. At the end of the trip, and the end of the book, the two couples had parted company. "Johnny and I dined tête-à-tête that night, at Hiely's [at Avignon, where it can be found today]. We turned to the Bordeaux on the wine-list, and ordered a Château Latour 1914. With the exception of the Château Ausone, it proved to be the best claret we had tasted on the tour. But they would never believe us . . . ." [263]. In this book, Stern gives us an interesting example of the wine-and-dine tour by automobile, which was so popular in the twenties and thirties, when automobiles were not yet in the hands of the masses.

Stern was born in London, and died in Wallingford, England. When she was 14, her parents lost much of their money in a South African diamond venture and were forced to sell their home. She travelled with the family to Europe and finished her schooling in Germany and Switzerland. She wrote numerous books, mostly novels and some plays (one with Rupert Croft-Cooke). She was a fan of Jane Austen and of Robert Louis Stevenson, of whom she wrote a fictionalized biography. In 1919 she married Geoffrey Lisle Holdsworth, a New Zealand journalist, whom she had met through their friend, Noël Coward. They were later divorced.

To compensate for the absence of the "Napa Wine" chapter, you get the first six instalments of George W. Cable's Dr. Sevier, Charles Dudley Warner's The Bull-Fight, poems by Emma Lazarus, Christina Rossetti's Dante: the poet illustrated out of the poem, Henry James' The Impressions of a Cousin in two instalments, poems by Sidney Lanier, a sonnet by Robert Browning, and more. Browning's sonnet for Rawdon Brown, an Englishman who spent much of his life in Venice and died in the summer of 1883, is published here in the February 1884 issue of Century. The manuscript of this poem is held by Baylor University and is signed by Browning, Nov. 28, '83.

For a detailed comparison of the Century version with The Silverado Squatters as published in book form, see the Grabhorn Press edition of Silverado Journal, published by The Book Club of California in 1954 (item 146).

First edition. The word "His" is missing at line 19 on page 140. Chapter 3 [pages 34-47] of the section In the Valley is titled "Napa Wine" and has gained fame over the years as a literary anchor for the Napa wine country, and for California. The Silverado Squatters and "Napa Wine" by itself have become the subject of numerous special reprint editions. See Wayward Tendrils, Vol. 3, No. 4, page 18. See also Gabler's detailed notes (G38080) on "Napa Wine," published by Westwinds Books of San Francisco in 1974.

Stevenson was baptized Robert Lewis Balfour, but at 18 he dropped the third name and changed the spelling of the second to Louis. He was called Louis by friends and family.

First US edition. Ownership signature of "Robert Hoe Lawrence, N.Y. Dec 15/84." Inscription on front endpaper: "My dear Miss McCaull, Robert Hoe Lawrence once owned this book, but he parted with it and I found it in my travels. I give it to you not so much because I have another copy as because I want you to have it as a souvenir of your visit to ‘The Orchard.’ Very sincerely, Francis Wilson – December 1st 1895." This edition was printed from new plates. I spotted at least one typo in the "Napa Wine" chapter: côte d'ar [page 53] for côte d'or. This typo was retained in the 1890 Roberts edition, but corrected in the 1895 Scribner's. The Chatto & Windus edition (item 133) is correct [page 40].

A later printing, from the same plates. See item 134 above.

Later edition.

This seems to be the daddy of the Crescent edition of Silverado Squatters, which is printed from the same plates, with additions [item 138, n.d.]. Both editions retain the "côte-d'ar" typo of the first US edition. On cover: "Munro's Library of Popular Novels. Issued Daily. March 19, 1896. Price 25 Cents." Copyright date is 1894. The back cover has an ad for the Sohmer piano. I would guess that this fragile item is relatively scarce.

Following The Silverado Squatters there are two pieces – The Mystery of Sasassa Valley [pages 5-16], Arthur Conan Doyle's first published work (Chambers' Journal, 1879), and The American's Tale [17-24], another Doyle story. The mystery is why these works were appended without identifying the author. Interestingly, in My First Book, Doyle tells us that his Habakuk Jephson's Statement, published in Cornhill "was attributed by critic after critic to Stevenson, but, overwhelmed as I was by the compliment, a word of the most lukewarm praise sent straight to my own address would have been of greater use to me …" Poor Doyle – here we go again.

Copyright 1892, 1895 by Scribner's. Volume 15 in the collected works. On spine: "The Amateur Emigrant / Across the Plains / The Silverado Squatters." This and the following items are here because of a collector's quirk – to assemble as many individual volumes as possible of Stevenson's "Collected Works" containing The Silverado Squatters.

Same as item 136, later edition.

Edited by Charles Curtis Bigelow and Temple Scott. Anaho Edition De Luxe, limited to one thousand numbered sets of which this is [not numbered]. Copyright 1906. On spine: "… The South Seas / Silverado Squatters / Etc." In the index, Father Damien is listed as Farther Damien. From the editorial note preceding Silverado Squatters: "The Silverado Squatters was originally published in the Century Magazine, Vol. XXVII, November and December, 1883. The first issue in book-form is an undated pamphlet, printed in 1883, and issued by Chatto & Windus. The pages were reprinted precisely as they were in the Century Magazine, the work being hastily done to secure the English copyright. A copy of this interesting pamphlet exists, having on the inside of the front wrapper the following inscription in the handwriting of Stevenson: ‘This Strange and Imperfect Publication, one of an edition of 10 copies only, issued for ulterior purposes, on the 17th day of October … 1883, is now in its character of a bibliographic rarity …and as a handy compendium of misreadings and errors of the press’ … The first edition in book-form offered to the public was also published by Chatto & Windus, but bears the date 1883. The work did not enjoy a large sale, not reaching the second edition until 1886 …" Thus the first issue actually preceded publication in The Century.

The Vailima edition of the works. On spine: "Silverado Squatters." The "other stories" of the title-page are: The Old Pacific Capital, A Modern Cosmopolis, The Misadventures of John Nicholson, The Story of a Lie, The Bottle Imp, Fables, The Charity Bazaar, Admiral Guinea. I happened to read The Charity Bazaar the day after going to one, and found it quite amusing – right on the mark.

On spine: "Edinburgh / Picturesque Notes / The Silverado / Squatters."

Colophon: "John Henry Nash, of San Francisco, certifies that this copy is one of an edition of three hundred and eighty printed by him, from hand-set types which have been distributed, and the presswork completed in the month of September, Nineteen Hundred and Twenty-three. The title-page portrait and illustrative head-bands are the work of Howard Whitford Willard. This is copy No. 214. An erratum slip is tipped in on the colophon page: "Avowal! A vowel ‘i’ replaced a ‘t’ in ‘Calistoga’ on page 16. I can only swear it is not consonant with my usual vigilance to allow ‘t’ to be served so! John Henry Nash."

A beautiful production of the printer's art, which yet pleases the eye despite its woeful condition, and still proudly bears its unique identifier as one of a mere 380 copies.

Another "Nash" production was issued a year later: Silverado Squatters. Napa wine … to accompany a four-color engraving of the famous old Napa winery from a painting by Girard Hale. San Francisco, printed by John Henry Nash, 1924. [24] pages; 29 cm. Earlier, in 1907, P. Elder of San Francisco published The Sea Fogs, a chapter from the Silverado Squatters, in an edition of 1000 copies, printed by the Tomoye Press, with typography designed by Nash. 18 cm. 24 pages.

"This book reprinted from the first edition published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1883."

Earlier, in 1942, Grabhorn had published The Sea Fogs, a chapter from the Silverado Squatters. 22 cm. 13 pages+.

In his thorough and thoroughly interesting 72-page introduction, Jordan fully prepares the reader for an understanding and appreciation of the Silverado Journal and its two somewhat different subsequent incarnations in The Century and in the book published by Chatto & Windus. We learn about Stevenson's voyage to New York in 1879, his arrival in Monterey by train, and his marriage to Fanny Osbourne May 19, 1880, followed by the move to Silverado on June 9th. The Journal entries begin May 22 and run to June 30. Stevenson did not begin writing the book until the winter of 1881-82, when he and Fanny were in Davos, Switzerland, and completed it in Hyères on the Mediterranean in France. Between times, he had also been back home in Scotland. In the copy of the book he sent to Virgil and Dora Williams, to whom the book was dedicated, he wrote: "Here, from the forelands of the tideless sea, / Behold and take my offering unadorned, / … /In the Pacific air it sprang; it grew / Among the silence of the Alpine air; / In Scottish heather blossomed; and at last / By that unshapen sapphire, in whose face / Spain, Italy, France, Algiers, and Tunis view / Their introverted mountains, came to fruit. …" Stevenson continued to work on the proofs, even after sending the draft to the Century, which accepted it, to his surprise, since they had asked him for fiction. The work was considerably revised after its Century publication and Jordan presents a comparison of the three versions – the Journal, the Century and the Book [page xli]. Stevenson himself took a dim view of the final version: "Silverado is an example of stuff worried and pawed about, God knows how often, in poor health, and you can see for yourself the result: good pages, an imperfect fusion, a certain languor of the whole. Not, in short, art." [xxxix]. The critics, of course, disagree and John Jordan, for one, says: "The book Stevenson made from his Silverado Journal, though still an ‘imperfect fusion,’ is probably his best ‘travel book.’" [lxvii].

Stevenson's notebook of 64 leaves "went with the royal family of Silverado to Switzerland, France, and maybe even to the South Seas, before it finally came back to California. Now, somewhat battered from the trip, it rests in the Henry E. Huntington Library as HM 650, having been presented to the library by Mr. Edwin J. Beinecke, who acquired it from the collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr." [xxiii]

Colophon: "Composed in Centaur types, printed, bound and published by James E. Beard, at St. Helena, California. Decorations by Mallette Dean. Frontispiece [photo showing Stevenson at the office of the St. Helena Star, 1880] from the collection of Norman H. Strouse." In Fisher’s charming introduction, fact and fiction are neatly intertwined.

Stoltz's ampelography covers the Rhine valley from Basel to Koblenz, and a number of viticultural districts in southern Germany. The material for each grape variety is organized in three sections: characteristic features; historic origin and various names in the Rhine valley, as well as presumed denominations elsewhere, France in particular; agricultural properties and economic value. This is followed by a conclusion, covering the advantages and disadvantages of the variety for different regions and various types of vineyards. The author, who lived in Andlau (north of Sélestat) based his work on his own observations and experience of 40 years, as well as that of other Alsatian growers, and works on viticulture and oenology published in other countries. He believes other botanists frequently identify a variety on the basis of a single observation. When they see it in another year, or in a different soil or climate, etc., it becomes a new variety, which in fact it isn't. Thus he rejects the classifications of his predecessors. Needless to say, criticism came from none other than comte Odart, author of l'Ampélographie universelle), upon publication of the first five instalments. Stoltz's reply appears on pages 245-255.

Stoltz covers 15 varieties in detail:

Gentil-aromatique (edle Gewürztraube), commonly known as Riesling.
Gentil-Duret (edler Harthaeuter) – Traminer.
Commune (gemeine Traube) – Elbling and Burger.
Valtelin – Velteliner.
Moréote (moreotische Traube) – Burgunder, Pinot.
Feuille ronde (Rundblatt) – Sylvaner.
Petit-mielleux (kleine Methsüße) – Kleinraeuschling, Knipperlé.
Grosse-Race (Trollinger) – Lamber, Bockshoden.
Olivette (Oliventraube) – Moorendutte, Zottelwaelscher.
Gros-fendant (Klaffer) – Gross-Raeuschling.
Doucet (Süsstraube) – Gutedel, Chasselas.
Agreste (Wildtraube) – Faerber, Teinturier.
Durefeuille (Hartläuber) – Hartolber, Olwer.
Grand-Tokai (grosser Tokaier) – Putzscheer, Thalburger.
Huns (Heunisch-Traube) – Heunschen.

For each of these 15 varieties there are two color plates (aquatint lithographs), one illustrating the grapes, the other the leaves, except the Commune variety which has three, and Huns has one. Two black & white plates illustrate training methods. There are some variations in the names as they appear in the index, the titles on the plates and the detailed text descriptions. Generally, though, the variants will be found in the synonymy for each variety in the text. Most grape varieties appear to have as many names as there are districts or regions in which they are cultivated. "Since it can happen that the most complete description of a grape variety is not enough to distinguish it from its congeners, I have included for each of my Rhine grape varieties, plates illustrating in natural size the grapes and the leaves in their normal state. I prepared the drawings myself from healthy stocks of medium age, planted in poor soil rather than rich, and in a year favorable to the vine. …" [page xi].

Simon BV 127. The list of subscribers, most of them from Alsace, numbers 51 individuals (52 copies) and 10 institutions (19 copies). A rather uncommon ampelography of which I was very fond, as was the distinguished book dealer who offered it to me many years ago after a great deal of hesitation. If you love Alsatian wine, you'll want this book, even though it's by no means an attractive copy.

On cover and half-title: "Straub's Manual of Mixed Drinks." In the preface, the publisher tells us that Straub is a native of Switzerland and that he spent many years studying "wine culture from the vineyard to the table." From Europe, he went to Louisville, and when the Blackstone Hotel of Chicago was built, he was asked to establish their wine cellars, which "are not exceeded by any hotel in the world for their wonderful selection of vintages and perfect management …" This is, however, primarily a book of cocktails and other mixed drinks. Only a dozen pages at the end are devoted to wine.

"First edition." This was perhaps the first real post-Repeal guide of its type and it remained popular through numerous subsequent editions and reprints. Two introductory chapters include history and an overview of wine, followed by a chapter on the wines of France [pages 42-111]. There are brief chapters on Germany, Italy, sherry & port, and American wines [112-152] and chapters on the purchase and service of wine [153-194]. The production of American wines was "suddenly and ruthlessly cut down by the sword of Prohibition and has but lately waked up to discover that the wound was not mortal. The American wine industry is, in short, engaged in digging its way out of the grave in which it was interred …" [145-146].

The previous owner, Henry W. Taft, was the younger (by one year) brother of William Howard Taft, President of the US 1909-1913. Like his brother, Henry W[aters] was a lawyer and was a partner in the firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft in New York, which he joined in 1887. The Taft name was added in 1914. His history of the firm, A Century and a Half at the New York Bar, was published privately in 1938. Interestingly, his brother William Howard consulted him prior to making the decision to run for the presidency, rather than accept an appointment as Chief Justice. As it turned out, he had his cake and ate it too, being the only person in US history to head both the Executive and the Judicial branches. Henry W. Taft appears in Street's list of acknowledements, together with many other persons well known in wine and gastronomy circles of the time.

Julian Street was born in Chicago and educated in St. Catharines, Ontario, at Ridley College Preparatory. He spent a number of years on the Riviera, where he established a lifelong friendship with Booth Tarkington. From the French government he received the Chevalier's Cross of the Legion of Honor in gratitude for his work in popularizing knowledge of French wines and cooking. Street's papers are housed at Princeton University. The collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, and notes, both published and unpublished, of Julian Street, ranging from his early reporter and drama critic days (1900-1910) up to the page of Table Topics he was working on just before his death (1947). Included are typescripts, manuscript notes, and proofs for 6 nonfiction works, 4 novels, 21 scripts, approximately 88 articles, plus the series of articles for Table Topics (which was a publication of Bellows & Co.), approximately 58 short stories, speeches, poems, and anecdotes and memoirs saved for a biography which was never written. Most notable are American Adventures, Table Topics, When We Were Rather Young, The Country Cousin, Rita Coventry, and "Mr. Bisbee's Princess." [from a Princeton University web page: Julian Street Papers, a finding aid prepared by Barbara Volz, Princeton University Library, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Manuscripts Division, 1984].

Second edition revised and printed from new plates 1948 This edition was considerably expanded and there is an added chapter on "other ancient wine lands" – Hungary, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Palestine, etc. The chapter on American wines has become "The Freshmen – the wines of the United States, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, and Australia." Among California wine people singled out are Martin Ray, Chaffee Hall and Martini, as is Philip Wagner in the East. The foldout wine map has been promoted from "Principal Vineyard Regions" [i.e. France] to "Principal Vineyards of Europe." And the dedication has been changed from "To Margot, a gourmet in spite of herself" to "To a Partnership."

This booklet presents a brief guide to wine for those who grew up in the Prohibition era.

Other "gastronomy" titles by Street were: Abroad At Home (1914), Where Paris Dines (1929), Table Topics (1959).

Another quickie for post-Repeal drinkers, with the inevitable over-simplifications and explanations bordering on the elliptic: "Before Prohibition our California wines were known by the same names as the famous ones from other countries and this method will be continued. Inasmuch as these are for the most part geographical names it can readily be seen that we refer to the type of wine." [page 61].

Of the mid 19th century American books on grape culture, this is one of the more extensive in its scope and detail. In his discussions of grape culture and grape varieties, Strong draws on European experience and tells us about soil conditions in the most successful wine-growing regions. "When we consider the exorbitant price of some of the vineyard-lands in favorite localities (some spots on the Rhine being appraised at eight to ten thousand dollars per acre), we might infer that it is only in these localities that we can expect good results … Probably the Rhine vineyards are valued at a higher rate for the mere purpose of cultivation than any other land on the globe. Quite different in character, yet held at the enormous prices of a thousand to five thousand dollars per acre, are the wine-districts of Bordeaux and Burgundy. In our own country, the same partiality is manifested, to some degree, for favorite localities. For example, some lands bordering on Lake Erie are held at from two to three hundred dollars per acre and upwards, which is a great increase over ordinary farming lands." [pages 92-93]. He goes on to discuss the soil characteristics of the various European localities and suggests that some of their rules could also be applied in this country. The book presents information on grape propagation, grafting, soil and situation, training methods, pruning, manures, diseases and insects, culture under glass, description of grape varieties, and wine-making, with details on the current state of wine-growing in California and the East. Strong seems to acknowledge the pressures of the temperance movement in his preface: "… multitudes are planting extensive vineyards in all parts of the country, both for the purpose of supplying our markets with an abundance of this fruit, unequalled in its health-giving qualities, and also for the more questionable purpose of wine-making."

An intemperate plea for temperance. Not in Noling. Stuart was born in Talbotts Station, TN and died in Birmingham, AL. A Methodist, he worked with Sam Jones, with the WCTU and other organizations, such as the Anti-Saloon League, and was a member of the Prohibition Party. "He was never of the stature of Sam Jones or a John Gough, yet he helped fill a vital contemporary demand for public speakers, which often combined elements of serious debate and discussion with entertainment." He finished his career back in the pulpit, taking a Birmingham church in 1916. [from Dictionary of American Temperance Biography, from Temperance Reform to Alcohol Research, the 1600s to the 1980s, 1984].

An overview of viticulture and wine-making in the Rheingau and Rheinhessen, with grape and wine purchase statistics by producer from 1874 to 1882. The first map covers the entire region, while the second is a detailed view of Rüdesheim, showing the locations of Sturm's own vineyards as well as other vineyards in the surrounding area. Sturm says that these maps are, to his knowledge, the most complete of their kind available to date. They were prepared by Ludwig Ravenstein in Frankfurt, publisher of a now relatively rare atlas of the German Empire (1883).

The preface is dated at Croydon, August, 1897 by Walter J Sykes, M.D. I have seen this mentioned as being the second edition, but can find no reference to that effect in this book. A technical treatise on brewing, but includes material on the practical aspects as well. "The author trusts that the work will be found not only useful to those who are commencing a brewing career, and for whom it is primarily intended, but also to older, practical men who may be desirous of increasing their knowledge of the scientific side of brewing." The third edition is dated 1907; 588 pages.