Family-Dictionary; or, Houshold Companion: The

London: Printed for H. Rhodes, 1695. Rare First Edition of 'The Family-Dictionary; or, Houshold Companion'
by William Salmon, Derided by Physicians as "The King of the Quacks"

[SALMON, William]. The Family-Dictionary; or, Houshold Companion: Wherein are Alphabetically laid down Exact Rules and Choice Physical Receipts for The Preservation of Health, Prevention of Sickness, and Curing the several Diseases, Distempers, and Grievances, incident to Men, Women, and Children. Also, Directions for Making Oils, Ointments, Salves, Cordial-Waters, Powders, Pills, Bolus's, Lozenges, Chymical Preparations, Physical-Wines, Ales, and other Liquors, &c. and Descriptions of the Virtues of Herbs, Fruits, Flowers, Seeds, Roots, Barks, Minerals, and Parts of Living Creatures, used in Medicinal Potions, &c. Likewise, Directions for Cookery, in Dressing Flesh, Fish, Fowl, Seasoning, Garnishing, Sauces, and Serving-up in the Best and most acceptable Manner. The whole ART of Pastry, Conserving, Preserving, Candying, Confectioning, &c. Also, The Way of Making all sorts of Perfumes, Beautifying-Waters, Pomatums, Washes, Sweet-Balls, Sweet-Bags, and Essences: Taking Spots, and Stains out of Garments, Linnen, &c. and Preserving them from Moths, &c. Washing Point, Sarsnets, and Restoring Faded Linnen; and Scowring, or Brightning Tarnished Gold, or Silver Lace, Plate, &c. Together, With the Art of Making all sorts of English Wines, as Currants, Cherries, Gooseberries, and Cyder, Mead, Metheglin, &c. And the Art of Fining, and Recovering Foul or Faded Wines. The Mystery of Pickling, and keeping all Sorts of Pickles throughout the Year. To which is Added, as an Appendix, The Explanation of Physical Terms, Bills of Fare in all seasons of the year. With the art of Carving. And many other Useful Matters. By J.H. London: Printed for H. Rhodes, 1695.

First edition. Octavo (6 7/8 x 4 1/2 inches; 174 x 114 mm.). [viii], [1-370]. [16, index] pp; [A4], B8-U7,[2, additional leaf],Uu-Z8, Aa8. Lower blank corner of F1 expertly strengthened, Small worm-track in upper blank margins of E5-K8, not affecting text.

Seventeenth century mottled calf, covers ruled in blind, smooth spine, expertly repaired. Early ink signatures dated '1766' on rear free endpaper. Ex Bernard Quaritch, London with their 'May 1974' pencil marking in the rear. A very nice copy of a rather rare and important eighteenth century cookery & household book.

An early work on cookery and domestic medicine, containing recipes such as snail broth for consumption, and spiced spirits to protect the lungs.

Rare: only two complete copies of this first edition of 1695 (without the author's name on the title-page) have appeared at auction over the past 100 years: Dominic Winter 2003 & 2006.

William Salmon (1644-1713) was an English empiric doctor and a writer of medical texts. He advertised himself as a "Professor of Physick". Salmon held an equivocal place in the medical community. He led apothecaries in opposing attempts by physicians to control the dispensing of medicines, and was derided by physicians as "the King of the Quacks". He has been described as "a brilliant publicist, but not much of a philosopher". Salmon "copied, translated, abridged, enlarged and compiled from the texts of others" to create popular books emphasizing practice over theory, and often marketing his own medications. A prolific author on a broad range of medical topics, Salmon's works were widely read in his time. His books were owned by respected men including Isaac Newton, Daniel Defoe, William Congreve and Samuel Johnson.

Bitting, p. 416; Cagle 981; Oxford, pp. 45-46; Wing H66.