I’ve been really enjoying old books on wine & spirits (pre 60s, if I had to draw a line).
Loved the esoteric digressions of George Saintsbury’s “Notes on a Cellar Book”, and I’ve been really enjoying the very imperial tone of Alec Waugh’s well-crafted prose on Ports, burgundies, and sambuca.
Anyone got any suggestions for books in a similar vein? I’m looking for interesting, if dated, strong opinions on booze. I find myself fascinated by the historical context here, and how tastes have evolved.
Look for titles from Gerald Asher, Frank Prial, or Leon Adams. I love M.F.K. Fisher’s works, although they are not strictly wine focused. Books are pretty easily found via Alibris or other sites.
I’d just go prowling on eBay and look for old books (most will have the date of publishing) and buy up a bunch. Most will be so cheap that even if you don’t care for it after reading a chapter, you won’t feel bad putting it back up in the bookshelf, or donate box.
If you snoop/search some of my prior posts, you’ll see that I leave book reviews here on a regular basis.
Check out the books online on Raptis Rare Books. It’s a rare book store here in West Palm Beach with literally $30-50 million in inventory at a time. The place is unreal. They have wine and spirits books from the 1800s!
Bespaloff - Fireside Book of Wine
P. Morton Shand - A Book of French Wines
Andre Simon - Vintagewise
Maurice Healy - Stay Me with Flagons
H. Warner Allen - Wines of France, The Romance of Wine
Stalin’s Wine Cellar by John Baker
Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure by Donald Kladstrup & Petie Kladstrup
What To Drink With What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page.
These are wild! Was browsing through their catalogue last night and really thinking like dropping $8K on an old book on cigars would be a good idea.
These are all exactly the type of books I’m after, and will be fun to track down…thanks! This’ll be some good homework.
This is righfully a classic, but a little modern for what I’m after.
Thanks for all the tips everyone!
One other Alec Waugh I found, and just ordered, is his 1972 “Wines and Spirits (Foods of the World)” (granted, past my arbetrairy cut-off, but his style is still very much thematically what I’m after). Supposedly has a rare picture of madeira being poured over a naked boy, a supposedly traditional method I haven’t been able to find any info on. Though, it’s led to some questionable google searches.