Mollard, John

manuscript, with several hundred sophisticated professional recipes, roughly organised into soups, fish, meat, poultry, vegetables, puddings, pickles, sauces, and pastries, including what is believed to be the earliest known recipe for "Twelf Cakes" (p.307), 337 pages numbered in pencil, plus blanks, 15 stubs at the front of the volume, 13 pasted slips of paper with revisions and additional recipes, occasional markings and revisions in pencil, two further slips loose, two pages of recipes in a modern hand at the end, 4to, stiff green vellum with gilt lettering ("John Mollard 1797"), gilt border and inside dentelles, gilt edges, two metal clasps, 1797, lower cover detached, significant loss at spine, rubbed

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The personal recipe book of a leading chef at the turn of the 19th century. John Mollard was a professional chef who ran a number of prestigious establishments in London from the 1780s through to the 1830s, including the Freemason's Tavern on Great Queen Street. His Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined went through five editions between 1801 and 1836 and the present volume was evidently a principal source for that collection. It contains many recipes also found in the printed volme, although there are often differences in ingredients and instructions.