Beer, Wine & Food books at auction
On Thursday, PBA Galleries in San Francisco will hold an auction of Beer, Wine & Food: The Marlene & Doug Calhoun Gastronomical Library. Section I will contain books on beer, wine, and other libations, while section II focuses on food, cookery, and domestic economy. The Calhouns, who have been ABAA (and PBFA) booksellers, developed the collection over decades, traveling in the U.S., England, and Scotland. According to the sale catalogue, Doug Calhoun used the collection to write a bibliography on beer books that is "about finished now."
In addition to brewing manuals and early 'art of brewing' titles (such as the rare English one pictured at left from 1692 with an estimate of $5,000-$8,000), section 1 contains early twentieth-century Guinness guidebooks, brewery souvenirs and coasters, and The Savoy Cocktail Book: Being in the main a complete compendium of Cocktails, Rickeys, Daisies, Cobblers, Fixes, and other Drinks from 1930.
In addition to brewing manuals and early 'art of brewing' titles (such as the rare English one pictured at left from 1692 with an estimate of $5,000-$8,000), section 1 contains early twentieth-century Guinness guidebooks, brewery souvenirs and coasters, and The Savoy Cocktail Book: Being in the main a complete compendium of Cocktails, Rickeys, Daisies, Cobblers, Fixes, and other Drinks from 1930.
In section two, lots of cookbooks are served 'pot luck' under headings like "twenty-six 19th century cook books" for an estimated $250-$350. Or one may have one thousand recipes (or receipts) of Mrs. Bliss for $200-$300. What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking, Soups, Pickles, Preserves, Etc., published in San Francisco in 1881, is, according to the catalogue, the "First edition of the second cook book authored by an African American." Its estimate is $7,000-$10,000.
One of the neatest items in the auction is an archive of
22 account ledgers, check registers, and related papers pertaining to James Alexander's breweries in upstate New York from 1852-1881. One of the ledgers is pictured here at right. From the catalogue: "The ledgers include both accounts payable and receivable, payments to employees, itemized listings of supplies purchased, and of course the beer, ale and porter sold. Also included are records of various batches of beer brewed, with the quantities of hops, yeast and malt used, the gravity, etc." The estimate is $5,000-$8,000. Images courtesy of PBA Galleries.
The auction begins at 1:00 PST. Online bids are taken through PBA's Real-Time Bidding. Cheers!
The auction begins at 1:00 PST. Online bids are taken through PBA's Real-Time Bidding. Cheers!
