Elizabeth David's copy.- Smith (Alice) The Art of cookery: or, The compleat-housewife. In a method entirely new, and suited to every capacity. Containing: Marketing. Cookery. Pastry. Confectionary. Candying. Conserves. Preserves. Collaring. Potting. Pickling. Brewing. Wine-Making, &c. To which is added, I. The Cellar-man: or House-keeper's director for managing Beer and Ale, from the tonning to the drawing. II. The Wine-maker improved, second edition, trimmed, with loss of 'The' at head of title, and sometimes just touching text (without loss of sense; the most serious incursion being to final line of a bill of fare on N2v where majority of a couple of words lost), headlines or catchwords, some water-staining, particularly to title, lightly browned throughout, [cf. Maclean p.133], Printed for the Author and sold by the Booksellers of Great Britain and Ireland, 1760 bound with Bees.- Cooke (Samuel) The Complete English Gardener: Or, Gardening made perfectly easy...to which is added The Complete Bee-Master; or best method of managing bees, engraved frontispiece, separately paginated 24pp. printer's catalogue at end, occasional spotting or light staining, lightly browned, [cf. Henrey 575-577], Printed for J. Cooke at Shakespear's-Head, in Pater-noster-Row, [?c.1780], together 2 works in 1 vol., modern calf-backed marbled boards, gilt spine in compartments and with black leather label, large 12mo

⁂ I: Rare second edition of this work. This edition not found in the standard bibliographies or recorded by WorldCat or Library Hub. We trace only one copy at auction (2020). The first edition of 1758 is similarly rare. Smith describes herself on the title as 'many years employed in several families'. II: Cooke was gardener at Overton in Wiltshire. In addition to discussing many types of gardening there is also information on breeding and rearing poultry, rabbits and bees. He describes skep beekeeping and advises killing the bees to collect honey.

Provenance: Elizabeth David (bookplate and a couple of loosely inserted autograph notes).