Le Confiseur Moderne

Machet, J J. Le Confiseur Moderne. (4th Ed) Chez Madaran: Paris, 1821. 8vo (210x130mm) marbled leather bds, rebacked, gilt decorated spine, xvi,462pp. (In French)

Machet, J J.

Le Confiseur Moderne, ou l'art du confiseur et distillateur, contenant toutes les opérations du confiseur et du distillateur, et, en outre, les procédés généraux de quelques arts qui s'y rapportent, particulièrement ceux du pafumeur et du limonadier. Ouvrage enrichi de plusieurs recettes nouvelles, et mis à la portée du tout amateur, avec les moyens de reconnaître les falsifications et les sophistications en tout genre: auquel on a joint 1° Un appendice ou Recueil de recettes de médicamens rendus agréables à la vue et au gout, par une préparation et une forme nouvelles, avec leurs doses et leurs vertus. 2' Un petit historique de quelques substances simples ls plus usuelles. 3° Un vocabulaire des termes techniques.

Paris : Chez Madaran, Libraire, Rue des Marias, N° 16, 1821. Fourth edition. First published 1803. Printed by Impriemerie D'A. Clo, Rue Saint-Jacques, N° 38.

Octavo (210x130mm) smooth calf spine, professionally re-backed, in six gilt decorated and ruled compartments, original red straight grain morocco gilt lettered spine label; contemporary mottled calf boards, simple gilt dentelle border, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled, green silk ribbon marker, xvi,462pp : π⁸,1-28⁸, 29⁸(-29₈). In French.  Bookseller label "Berard & Mondon New York French, Spanish, Italian, Books &c." to front paste-down; slight wear and loss to boards, small loss not affecting the text to p.167; lightly foxed/offset toned evenly throughout not affecting legibility; small signs of kitchen use to several pages; small ink spot to top edge; pencilled notes to rear free endpaper.


The book has five main sections after an introduction:  base recipes; sugar and chocolate; liquid and 'dry' jams, pastes such as biscuits, cakes marzipans, candied fruits and almonds and all manner of preserves; distillation and essential oils; and perfumes, drinks and recipes for home.  Le Confiseur concludes with an appendix of health recipes, a dictionary of basic ingredients and a professional vocabulary .  The recipes are generally written in the modern style with the ingredients and quantities listed before the method.  In the introduction, Machet states his intention to provide modern instructions from the sole point of view of the professional confectioner, noting that the only useful text (presumably Massiolot's Nouvelle Instruction pour les Confitures, 1692) was now too old and limited in scope.

Little is known of Machet other than that he had worked as a confectioner in regional France and abroad but by 1803 was based in Paris.  In the preface he claims twenty years practical experience, and notes he was successfully making high quality sugared almonds in 1788, suggesting he was born approximately 1760 or earlier.  Clearly an experienced professional confectioner, Machet's recipes are detailed, sometimes ambitious and domestic recipes such as fruit cheeses are reserved for the smallest part of the text at its conclusion.  Machet also clearly had a recognised professional reputation as he also contributed to the 7th (1815) and 8th (1819) editions of Frederick Nutt's The Complete Confectioner.

A lovely solid copy of an important early nineteenth century professional reference on confectionery and distillation in original boards. 


§  OCLC records only 7 holdings this edition all in North America.
§  Cagle 293; Maggs 386; cf Bitting p.299, 2nd edition; cf Vicaire 545-6, 8th edition; cf Simon BV 155 and Simon BG979 other editions.