As we all start to prepare ourselves for the exciting onslaught of Christmas, we've been blessed with gift inspiration here at Rooke Books, with our recently listed New Arrivals including a delightful set of works by A. A. Milne, a splendid copy of 'Arabische Nachte' and a fascinating account of the Houston-Mount Everest Expedition of 1933, complete with a smart pair of 3D glasses! And as for some of the more uncommon works...

The Survey of London


First of all, we've added an early seventeenth century work exploring the wards of London, their buildings, customs, sports and pastimes, and social conditions. Written by John Stowe, it is a fourth edition

Up-to-date and Economical Cookery

Dating from 1898, just shy of the explosive twentieth century, this is a second edition of Dora Groome's popular cookbook, advising on cookery which saves both money and time. Containing recipes which are most surprising to a modern audience, such as mock caviar and mock turtle soup (inspired by the alternative green turtle soup), as well as recipes that seem unnervingly familiar, such as mushroom ketchup (which is preferably made with tomatoes) and potato snow (also known as mashed potato). A lovely and relatively smart survivor of its period, this is a lovely general Victorian cookbook, covering sweet and savoury foodstuffs alike.

Syphillis, a Practical Dissertation on the Venereal Disease

We were fascinated to learn a little more about this historical disease through a third edition of a scarce and early medical dissertation on syphilis, dated 1727. It presents author Daniel Turner's understanding of the causes, symptoms and treatments of the disease as it was in the early eighteenth century. Syphilis was the first disease discovered after the invention of printing, and as it was understood to be a disease transmitted sexually, having syphilis was quickly treated as an indication of someone's lack of morals. Treatments for the disease over the centuries have included pyrotherapy via introduction of malaria, mercury, and Salvarsan, a drug which contains arsenic. Presented in a contemporary leather binding, our scarce copy of this work makes for a fascinating piece of medical history.

Our other medical works can be found here.

Enid Blyton's Nature Books

Another scarce work, albeit a little more uplifting this time, Enid Blyton's Nature Books are a bright and charming piece of nature writing by one of the most popular children's authors of the twentieth century. Comprising of 'Spring Time', 'Summer Time', 'Autumn Time' and 'Winter Time', they are a lovely account of the seasons across flora and fauna in the United Kingdom, and present an interesting and different style of Blyton's than that which most readers would be accustomed to, namely her juvenile adventure fiction, such as the Famous Five series, works for a younger audience such as Noddy and school tales, such as Malory Towers. Our collection of these four works are scarcely found complete, and will make for a bright and colourful addition to any collector's library.

 

And finally, our header this week comes from an 1888 three volume set of Horace Walpole's 'Anecdotes of Painting in England'.