The Art of Living in Australia

Muskett, Philip E. The Art of Living in Australia. Privately bound, with white metal monogram to upper board. First Edition.

MUSKETT, Philip E [Edward (1857-1909)]

The Art of Living in Australia: (together with three hundred Australian cookery recipes and accessory kitchen information by Mrs H Wicken, lecturer on cookery to the Technical College, Sydney).

London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Melbourne, Sydney and New York: Eyre and Spottiswoode, Her Majesty's printers [1894]. First Edition. Printed by Eyre and Spottiswoode.

Octavo (185x130mm) full forest green morocco-grain padded leather over boards, white metal monogram "P E M" to upper board, spine in five compartments, raised bands, gilt lettered; all-edges gilt; double gilt-ruled turn-in, marbled end-papers, coloured headbands, [half-title],xxix,[1 blank],431,[1 advertisement],[2 blank]pp.

Upper joint lightly rubbed, top front hinge small blemish, verso of end-papers and the gutter of a few preliminaries lightly foxed, not affecting the text; pencil and ink date notations to title-page bottom edge; faint sporadic foxing to the margins of a few pages, else fine. Lacks marker ribbon.


Muskett was a nineteenth century Australian medical doctor, health reformer and author.  In 1882, after schooling and training in Melbourne and London, Muskett moved to Sydney and took up a number of senior positions in the New South Wales health system.  

The Art of Living in Australia is an interesting, prescient and significant book in two parts.  Part I is a lengthy analysis of the Australian climate, diet and methods of food production as well as an investigation into the teaching of cookery in schools and a significant, informative chapter on wine production (exploring the importance of wine in Australia both economically and as part of an Australian diet and wine styles that would suit an Australian climate).  In this regard, Muskett was significantly influenced by David Hume, Rousseau and Montesquieu.  Muskett concluded, after comparing the Australian climate with other parts of the world, that the extant diet with an emphasis on meat and tea, should be replaced with an 'Australian' diet more climate appropriate, like those of the Mediterranean and Southern Europe, with an emphasis on fish, oysters, vegetables and wine.  Muskett also made many recommendations for the improvement of the wine industry, agriculture and market gardening, deep sea fishing and the teaching of cookery.  Although not vegetarian, he did advocate that Australians should eat less meat.  Many of his recommendations remain relevant today and his views on a Mediterranean diet, a preference for coffee and the importance of wine have proven to be resoundingly correct.

Part II,  "Australian Cookery Recipes and Accessory Kitchen Information" written by Harriet Wicken (pp, 251-430)  contains 300 recipes, most costed, and many for vegetables providing some examples of dishes that would have met Muskett's approval, but focusing on reiterating mostly standard British dishes and approaches to vegetables interspersed with sound culinary education and advice

Drawing on his medical experience  of administering to women, infants and children in Sydney for at least a decade, Muskett continued to publish, lecture and advocate for dietary reform and improvement and education including cookery. In all he published 9 books and numerous monographs and articles on diet and food providing useful and accessible information on childcare, diet and health for Australian conditions.

Remembered by the bookseller James Tyrrell as a keen bibliophile, he was president and chairman of the Sydney School of Arts debating society and a founder of the New South Wales Literary and Debating Society's Union.

This copy is richly bound and finished.  Given his bookish enthusiasms, the lack of the advertisements, before and after the text, the sumptuous binding and the silver monogram with his initials, it is a reasonable assumption that this volume was his personal copy or a presentation copy to him from either his publisher or a colleague.  

An excellent copy with intriguing possible provenance.

§ Of the first and only edition, there are few holdings outside Australasia and the UK;  This binding not recorded.
§ Hoyle 919;  Austin p.10; Ferguson 13038; Driver 747.1; all for the publisher's standard blue cloth bound edition.