The 2012 Oxford Book Fair surpassed expectations on several levels it seems, exact figures for attendance unknown but confidently expected to be up by at least one third on last year’s fair.  Holybourne Books’ Casino Royale did attract some serious interest though a purchase wasn’t alas to occur during the fair. Plenty of other books were sold though! Many booksellers reported a steady stream of browsers of all ages interspersed with regular purchases, and the declared take so far at this year’s fair is nearly £117,000, again up on last year by a good margin.

Proof that, even in times of economic uncertainty, discerning book-collectors wont be dissuaded from their passion, and that the PBFA Premier Fairs offer an excellent opportunity to indulge their interest, with a sufficiently diverse range to meet all wallets and tastes.

Next Premier Fair Cambridge!

image courtesy of lucciola.me

Ian Fleming’s glamorous, dangerous and sometimes callous spy James Bond makes his debut in the author’s 1953 masterpiece Casino Royale; copies in the first issue dust-jacket are scarce, especially in good+ condition, so the copy offered at this year’s Oxford Book Fair by Holybourne Rare Books marks a rare opportunity for fair visitors to view, or possibly even acquire, a copy in such condition.

The full description provided by the Fair Exhibitors Sanders of Oxford reads:

An early plan of Oxford with title cartouche and explanations down the left side and bottom, showing Oxford and the fortifications as they were in 1648. Published in Historia et Antiquitates Universitatis Oxoniensis by Anthony Wood in Oxford 1674.

The fortifications illustrated in this map were built during the English Civil War. During the war the Royalists withdrew from London to Oxford. Charles I based himself and his military in the city from October 1642. The King was at Christ Church and the Queen at Merton.

The fortifications of ditch, rampart, palisade and gates with drawbridges were built from St. Giles’s Church in the north to Folly Bridge in the south and from Magdalen Bridge in the east to St. Thomas’s Church in the west. Barriers were built in the Thames, whose waters, as well as those of the Cherwell were made to flood the surrounding meadows. To expidite these works, in the summer of 1643 all members of the University between the ages of 16 and 60 were recruited as labourers for one day a week or fined 1s. Women were also called upon to help and were liable to fines if they did not appear or send a substitute.

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” ‘…A Prayer of Queen Elizabeth found in her Bible & there wrote by herself’ and ‘…a useful hint to many persons’.  The text begins with ‘Wines &c &c’, p.1, and includes ‘British Madeira, from R. Newberry’; ‘Lemon Wine, E. Tabuteau’; ‘Cowslip Wine, To 1 peck of cowslips put 3 gallons of water 3lb loaf sugar to a gallon not quite 2 lemons to a gallon the whites and shells of the same quantity of eggs…’; ‘To make Shrub, To every gallon of spirits put a quart of juice of any sort of fruit and a pound of good Jamaica sugar’; ‘To make a good Dram, One quart of whiskey 1lb lump sugar and lemon and rind 1lb white currants just bruised…’; ‘Usquebaugh’; ‘Milk Punch 12 gallons’, calls for 4 gallons of rum, the rind and juice of 12 lemons and 12 oranges, 12lb lump sugar, 12 eggs and two quarts new milk…’.  ‘Puddings &c’, p.15, has recipes for Apple; Transparent; Orange; and Lemon puddings; Potatoe Pudding, Take 1lb boiled potatoes 1lb butter and the same quantity of sugar 8 eggs mix them together very well with a little nutmeg brandy flour and 3 spoonsful of cream three qt. of an hour will bake it’; Carrot; Tansy; Curd; Almond and Plum puddings; Quaking; Angelica; Rich Bread; Vermacilly [sic]; Custard; Boston Apple; Mrs Fitsherberts; Chancellors (J. Evans); Marrow; Nottingham; Hunters; and Welch puddings.  ‘Creams &c’, p.27, includes Devonshire Clotted Cream, Rice Cream, Steeple Cream, Italian Cream; French Barley Cream and Imperial Cream.  ‘Cakes &c’, p.33, include ‘Hot Cake, D. Pim’; ‘Rock Cake, S. M. Gatchell’; Bath Buns, Dr Kitchener’ ‘Nun’s Biscuits, R Newberry’; ‘Spanish Flummery’ and ‘An excellent trifle’.  There are sections on ‘Jelly’, p.55 and ‘Preserves’, pp.61-76 followed by a melange of recipes including puddings, creams, dumplings, butter-making, ink-stain remover; ‘Everton Toffee’, ‘Veal Cutlets’, ‘White Soup’, ‘To write secretly on a pocket handkerchief’, ‘To cut glass’, ‘To make blacking’, ‘To preserve roses’, ‘To Pickle Salmon’, ‘To make Triacle Beer’, ‘Stiff Custard’ and ‘Cure for Rheumatism, Mrs Egar’.  Two press cuttings loosely inserted: a ‘Ready Reckoner, Showing the Amount of any Commodity from One Pound to a Hundred weight, at any price from a Farthing to Two Shillings per Pound’ and a ‘Table to Calculate Servants’ Wages’.  There are very few recipes for hors d’oeuvres or main dishes.  Perhaps these were to have been added on the blank leaves.”

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