FEATURES

Some reflections on antiquarian and out-of-print books

by Kathy Stockwin

Copyright © 2004 Kathy Stockwin

Books are very special to many people - despite the threats from e-books of the demise of the printed word, I think books will always be around. And long may that be! The numbers of new titles coming out each year around the world is amazing - in the UK alone, the numbers must be in the hundreds of thousands.

However, there is something especially satisfying in turning the pages of a book from another time; it instantly takes you there. If it’s a particularly good book, all your senses are stimulated by the evocation of the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of another era. You can find out what caught people’s interest then, and also what did not concern them. You share
their worries, their dreams. And what often emerges are the universals of the human condition.

In many ways, people in the past were not all that different from us today.

I used to be a journalist - so I have a professional respect for the information in books. ‘Background’ books were invaluable when I was looking into a topic before interviewing someone.

I Cut My Teeth Before the Net

I hate to admit this, but I cut my teeth in the days before the internet. What a wonderful resource this is! Just punch in a subject or keywords and a wealth of material or suggested sources emerges. You can browse the offerings of internet bookshops all over the world from the comfort of your own home.

And I have. My books have come from the UK, Canada, the US and Australia. In fact I tracked down one particular volume that I had almost given up hope of ever finding - in a tiny bookstore in Hobart, Tasmania. It was run by a delightful elderly couple, who also sold antique sheet music. I was their first customer in England!

I work closely with my husband, Julian (who, by the way has an enormous collection of books, about ships and the sea), who writes about the great age of fighting sail, a world of two hundred years ago. He calls me his ‘reality manager’: My job is to free up his time so that he can concentrate on the creative process of writing. I handle our website, publish a
monthly newsletter, look after administration etc. I also take special pleasure in researching life ‘ashore’ in the eighteenth century.

Although Julian’s books are primarily ‘sea tales’, sailors do not spend all their time at sea…

Three Georgian Favourites

Of the many volumes I now have about various aspects of life in Georgian England, I’ve selected three from my bookshelves that I particularly enjoy.

Not all my books are originals - if a facsimile can bring the past to a larger modern audience, that’s fine. Of course, the real thing is very special…

The first is The Art of London Cookery by John Farley, principal cook at the famous London Tavern. I have a facsimile, printed in 1988, of the original book which was first published in 1783. The full title is proudly announced inside: The London Art of Cookery and Housekeeper’s Complete Assistant on a New Plan made plain and easy to the understanding of every housekeeper, cook and servant in the Kingdom.

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It then goes on to list the topics covered, which include: ‘Proper directions for the choice of all kinds of provisions’, ‘To keep garden stuffs and fruits in perfection’ and ‘Necessary articles for sea-faring person’. The latter, of course was of special interest and included a recipe for an excellent anchovy sauce (which I have tried). There is also a section on “considerations on culinary poisons” - a fascinating diversion from my usual interest!

Georgian meals were enormous affairs, consisting of several ‘courses’ with a dozen or so dishes in each course. Farley’s book has a suggested menu for each month, featuring seasonal produce. Do you know what ‘Solomon-gundy’ is? It’s an eighteenth century salad composed of chicken, herrings, boiled eggs, capers, pickled oysters - sounds delicious!).

Or ‘White Soup’? Veal stock with rice, ground almonds and cream.

There are so many tempting recipes in the book. I haven’t yet created a Georgian dinner party, but it would be fun to do, albeit with a smaller number of dishes.

On Practical Morality....

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My next choice is a wonderful pocket-sized book called Practical Morality or A Guide to Men and Manners Consisting of Lord Chesterfield’s Advice to His Son. This is a well-loved and well-used book with some foxing. It is fascinating to leaf through the pages from this book printed in 1813 and wonder who else has studied the sage words. My favourite section is that on Graces - so important to the genteel behaviour expected of a gentleman in those times!

Chesterfield was a man of considerable consequence in his day, but his name lives on not so much in his life’s achievements, but in a body of personal letters written to his illegitimate son Philip Stanhope and never intended for publication. They were sold by Philip’s widow for the sum of £1500 (a huge amount in those days) and became an instant best-seller!

My last choice is a little volume called KIDDER'S RECEIPTS OF PASTRY & COOKERY FOR THE USE OF HIS SCHOLARS. Kidder (1665-1739)
was a pastry-maker who lived in the eighteenth century. His book details traditional British hearty fare - pies, roasts - all with extremely elaborate trimmings. It is a beautiful little book, printed in 2002, a facsimile of a book dating from the 1740s from the collection of Oxford University’s department of the History of Art. One aspect that particularly appeals is that the original book’s elegant copperplate is reproduced. I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet - but am intrigued by ‘Bombarded Veal’ and ‘Tansey’.

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As you can imagine, with two serious book lovers in the family, finding more bookshelf space is an ongoing problem …

Kathy Stockwin and Julian Stockwin work together as a close literary team. Julian writes the Thomas Kydd series of nautical adventure fiction. Set in the Napoleonic era, the series tells the story of one man’s journey from pressed man to Admiral. His current book (the fourth in the series) is Mutiny, published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton last November. It will be reviewed here soon.

Julian Stockwin's next book is Quarterdeck, will be published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton in November 2004.