[Glasse (Hannah)], "A Lady". The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, first edition, title with woodcut ornament, list of subscribers, piece torn away from upper inner margin of title (loosely inserted), first 3 ff. of contents with marginal loss to the same area, first quire detached, G1 small piece from outer margin, with loss of part of 1 letter, water-stained, occasional spotting / damp-spotting, lightly browned, contemporary calf, gilt, upper cover detached, lower joint split, but holding, worn, [Bitting pp.186-187; Maclean pp.59-61; Oxford pp.76-77; Vicaire 48], folio, Printed for the author; and sold at Mrs. Ashburn's, a China-Shop, Corner of Fleet-Ditch, 1747.

⁂ A cornerstone of any collection of English cookery books; here with an excellent Alderney provenance. Our copy conforms to Marcus Crahan's description of the first issue (16pp. preliminaries rather than 20, without notice of second place of sale, without O2 and with the price of 6 [pence] entered by hand on title). The work includes one of the first English recipes for 'Currey the India Way'.

Provenance: John Le Mesurier (1781-1843), soldier and last hereditary Governor of Alderney (engraved armorial bookplate and ink signature to title); 'Augusta Diana Lane, the gift of her mother Eliz. Lane, born Le Mesurier, Sept. 27th, 1827' (ink inscription to head of A2).