Le Pot au Feu

Debois, A (Manager). Le Pot-au-Feu: journal de cuisine pratique et d'economie domestique. [Saint-Ange Ebrard]: Paris, France 1894-1901. 8 volumes, each - 4to (250x200mm) HC sage green cloth, gilt lettered 384,[4 index]pp.

DESBOIS, A (Manager)

Le Pot-au-Feu: journal de cuisine pratique et d'economie domestique.

A consecutive run of the 19th century French cookery magazine Le Pot-Au-Feu 1894 - 1901 in 8 volumes. 


Paris: [Saint-Ange Ebrard], 1894 - 1901.  Printed by Charles Schlaeber, Rue Saint-Honore Paris. 

Uniformly quarto (250x200mm) hardcover sage green cloth, gilt lettered spine 384pp with a 4 page index bound either at the front or rear of each volume.

The volumes are numbered 2 to 9.  The set lacks volume 1, 1893. Each volume contains 24 issues, bound without original wrappers, published January to December on the first and third Saturday of each month, with consecutive pagination as designed and an index.

Generally each volume is very good to near fine.   The boards have some faint shelf wear and some corners are lightly bruised.  There is a small tear to the cloth to the front of volume 9 and several small slight blemishes to a few other volumes.   The end-papers in each volume have some offset toning; there are a few neat penciled notes to the margins in some volumes and a penciled name and note to the free front end-paper in volumes 2 and 9.   The edges are lightly, evenly age-toned. The text blocks are near fine.

Le Pot-au-Feu began in 1893 as a bi-weekly cookery magazine of 16 pages and continued in this format until 1914 (World War I).   It is commonly accepted that the magazine was published by Saint-Ange Ebrard, although his name does not appear in these volumes.  His wife, Marie Ebrard, wrote for the magazine under the pseudonym "La Vieille Catherine".  Many of the recipes she wrote were later included in the work she is best known for - Le Livre de cuisine de Mme. E. Saint-Ange.

Most issues opened with a lengthy recipe, almost cooking lesson, from a professional chef (such as Driessens or Mazarin) followed by recipes, menus, culinary notes, advertisements etc.  The recipes were almost uniformly longhand and extensive instructions for 'cuisine bourgeoise'.

Later the magazine revived under different ownership and was issued until World War II.   It resumed in 1946 and continued until the 1950s.

A fine practical set.

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§ OCLC records only 4 holdings; all in Europe.