GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CHOICE OF WINES AND SPIRITUOUS LIQUORS Bound With OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING THE MEDICAL VIRTUES OF WINE Bound With AN ACCOUNT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DISCOVERY THAT HAS EVER YET BEEN MADE FOR THE RESTORATION AND PRESERVATION OF HEALTH, IN ALL COMPLAINTS IN THE STOMACH AND BOWELS, FEVERS, FLUXES, SCURVY, DROPSY, DEBILITY, &c. &c. PROVED BY REPEATED EXPERIMENTS MADE BY SOME OF THE MOST EMINENT PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS IN GREAT BRITAIN, THE WEST INDIES, &c., WHICH APPEARS BY THE FOLLOWING COPIES & EXTRACTS OF LETTERS... (1793-1798); (SAMMELBANDE)

London, England: Sold by J. Richardson, Cornhill; J. Debrett, Piccadillly; T. Murray, Fleet-Street; And other Booksellers in Town and Country, 1793. First Edition. Leather-bound. Very Good. 8vo. Red straight grain morocco boards (text block 8 in. x 5 in.) single ruled in red gilt, and gilt lettering to spine, along all board-edges (though some faded), and gilt turn-ins. General shelfwear, several minor blemishes to the goatskin-covered boards -- a few instances of shallow dimpling, and one narrow, 1.5 inch peeled and darkened but light scrape to front board. Corners lightly bumped. All edges gilt. xii, No date to titlepage of this one and only printing of this classic and very significant work. xii, [13]-86, 16, 16 pp. (8vo) 20.5x12.5 cm (8x5"), gilt-ruled red straight-grain morocco, spine ruled and lettered in gilt, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers on "printer's waste" sheets, gilt-ruled turn-ins. First Edition.

A scarce and important work in the library of wine, which noted wine purveyor and scholar Emanuel "Mannie" Berk reprinted on the 200th anniversary of its publication. "When London wine merchant Duncan M'Bride wrote this small book in 1793, he could not have known that he was helping to change the course of wine writing in the English language. This was only the second book ever written in English to discuss contemporary wines. It was the first to mention Romanee Conti, then as now, one of Burgundy's rarest wines. It was also the first to use the term 'First. Growths' in discussing the four pre-eminent estates of Bordeaux. And it was the first to examine the two greatest wine s of the Rhone, Cote Rotie and Hermitage, as well as the classic French brandy, Cognac. It began that enduring tradition of books written by wine merchants on the subject they know best. Finally and perhaps most importantly it was the first book in English whose primary intention was enabling the reader to choose intellilgently among the various wines then available...since at that time, "the great majority of books on wine had been treatises on grape growing, wine making or wine adulteration..." Surveying other books of the period Berk goes on to state, "Early copies of all of these books are today rare, with M'Bride perhaps the rarest. Only one edition, and one printing, are known..."

McBride's treatise offers guidance in selecting the finest vintages "to be used at the tables of the oppulent" and also provides an account of many illnesses allegedly cured by wine—including scurvy! Dedicated to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, McBride's treatise rhapsodizes on the virtues of the vine. In addition to their putative value as medicine, foremost among these the Toc-kay de Espagna (conveniently to be found at the shop of wine merchant D. M'Bride at no. 25 Little Mitre Court "and no where else in these Kingdoms"),

McBride makes the startling claim that wine is also a great boon to the state, for "[t]he knowledge of wines in general (especially those proper for the sick) tends greatly to the encrease of population, and consequently to the welfare of the sovereign of any country." Reverend Malthus, who published his An Essay on the Principle of Population just five years later, no doubt took note. The text is composed of four parts.

The chapters on wine selection and the medicinal properties of wine are complemented by chapters containing "[i]nstructions concerning spirituous liquors, with methods for detecting abuses in them" and a chaper further elaborating on the benefits gained from liberal application of Toc-kay de Espagna. Appended to the main text after a 2 pp. table of contents are two bibliographical curiosities which do not match the listings for ESTC (T64974) or that held in the Wellcome Collection. They are: "Observations Concerning the Medical Virtues of Wine" (with the ink stamp of presumed author J Scott MD at end of text) and a section printed on different paper stock titled "An Account of the Most Important Discovery that has ever been Made for the Restoration and Preservation of Health, in All Complaints in the Stomach and Bowels, Fevers, Fluxes, Scurvy, Dropsy, Debility, &c. &c." These added testimonials and letters between physicians etc. are dated between 1793 and 1798. According to ESTC, "Part IV is a separately paginated letter from Doctor Buchan to Mr. John Campbell". The cited letter does not appear in the present copy. University of Glasgow's Wellcome Collection copy does have the letter after the 2 pp. table of contents but does not contain the appended material found in this copy.

The exquisite endpapers were marbled on spare printer's sheets creating a collage-like effect where the text can be read through the marbling. The recto of the rear free endpaper has a consequent non-sequitor list of Lieutenant Colonels from some other publication, which we suspect form the riveting backdrop for the endpapers, apparently marbled directly over the print (waste!) of this completely unrelated book!

Another noteworthy feature of the present copy is that the printed address in the second appendix for wine merchant/author Duncan McBride is struck through in period ink, and emended by hand. No doubt the author wanted to make sure that all who read his work and could match his price had access to the elixir so evocatively named Toc-kay de Espagna. Wine into Words G29210. Condition: Spine darkened, some soiling and scuffs, 1½" abrasion to front board, corners slightly bumped; hinges exposed but remaining sturdy, a few minor creases and stains; very good. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- McBride's "General Instructions for the Choice of Wines and Spirituous Liquors" is the first book in English whose primary purpose was to be a guide to the wines available at that time..." (Gabler). It was also the first in English to assume the advisory role of "wine concierge", suggesting specific wines for specific pocketbooks or health curatives for sundry bodily ailments, and the specific instructions for administering same.

The most unusual (and, frankly stunning) endpaper marbling of any book we've come across in almost 30 years in business -- perhaps closest to a Stormont Turkish pattern. Upon closer look at the marbling, it was applied atop printed pages - laid onto so called "printer's waste". On verso of rear free endpaper is a page, numbered "19", with the heading "Lieutenant Colonels", listing down the entire page are names and dates (of death?) of Colonels in the British Army. It was this same book which was used as well for the front endpapers.

The book, dedicated to "His Royal Highness The Price of Wales", is divided into four parts: (From titlepage): PART I. Describes those wines which are best to be used at the tables of the opulent; PART II: Points out those wines which alone ought to be administered to the sick; PART III: Contains instructions concerning spirituous liquors; PART IV: An account of many disorders cured by the wine, called Toc-kay de Espagna. After the body of the book proper concludes (p. 86), there follows a two-page Index (labeled "Contents") and then begins (A 2/ p.3), "Observations Concerning The Medical Virtues of Wine". This 16 pp. section concludes with the inked stamp, of "J Scott M D". "When London wine merchant Duncan M'Bride wrote this small book in 1793, he could not have known that he was helping to change the course of wine writing in the English language.

This was only the second book ever written in English to discuss contemporary wines. It was the first to mention Romanee Conti, then as now, one of Burgundy's rarest wines. It was also the first to use the term 'First. Growths' in discussing the four pre-eminent estates of Bordeaux. And it was the first to examine the two greatest wines of the Rhone, Cote Rotie and Hermitage, as well as the classic French brandy, Cognac. It began that enduring tradition of books written by wine merchants on the subject they know best. Finally and perhaps most importantly it was the first book in English whose primary intention was enabling the reader to choose intellilgently among the various wines then available...since at that time, "the great majority of books on wine had been treatises on grape growing, wine making or wine adulteration..." (Emanuel Berk,in his Introduction to his 1993 limited reprinting of McBride's groundbreaking work, on the 200th anniversary of its original 1793 publication). Mr. Berk, a noted wine purveyor, and scholar on wine books, after mentioning other significant wine books, writes "Early copies of all of these books are today rare, with M'Bride perhaps the rarest. Only one edition, and one printing, are known..." Certain differences turn up between our copy and both that cited in the single ESTC entry (T64974), and the U. of Glasgow's Wellcome Collection. In sum, these differences concern a few points of pagination or inclusion of one particular letter. Most curiously, our copy has bound in at the rear, IN ADDITION to the 16 page section , an additional section -- also comprising 16 pages, consisting of testimonials from sundry sufferers of maladies whose ailing was cured by ingesting Duncan M'Bride's Toc-Kay de Espana.This section is entitled: "Copies & Extracts of Letters..." and concludes with "Directions for Using the Toc-Kay de Espana". It appears to be printed upon different and lighter-toned paper, definitely in a different font, increasing the probability that it was later bound in with a first editon copy. (These later-added testimonials and letters between physicians etc., are dated between 1793 and 1798.). The printed address (in this second 16-page appendix) for wine-merchant/author Duncan McBride is lined-through in period ink, and a new address written in. This final testimonial section of the book ("Copies & Extracts of Letters") is not found in known copies. As to the "Letter from Dr. Buchan to John Campbell, Strand", It does NOT appear in this copy, although responses about it, do. According to ESTC (Citation No. T64974): "Part IV is a separately paginated letter from Doctor Buchan to Mr. John Campbell. This letter IS present in the University of Glasgow's Wellcome copy, immediately following the Contents page.