The Oyster;

Item Details

London, Trübner & Co.,, 1861, Pictorial boards.

First edition., Very good.

Small octavo. 6 ¾ x 4 ¼ in. 96 + [6 publisher’s ads] pp. Drawings by George Cruikshank.

Glazed color pictorial boards with cream-colored spine. Housed in later custom clamshell box. Mild cracking to boards, wear to extremities. Slight toning to text. Mild foxing to first few pages. Very good.

First edition. Variously attributed to Herbert Byng Hall (1805 – 1883)—a captain in the British Army and, later, a Queen’s Messenger — and Eustace Clare Murray (1824 – 1881), a former British diplomat turned journalist and gossip columnist. OCLC possesses entries for both authors. It is possible both individuals had a hand in the book’s production, but cursory research seems to favor Murray as the definitive author (despite this copy’s custom box reading “Hall”). Illustrated by famed Dickensian caricaturist George Cruikshank.

The present work is a charming and comprehensive guide to all-things oysters, ranging from the oyster in antiquity, to the oyster’s alimentary qualities, oyster farming and harvesting, and of course, recipes. Across ten chapters, this book traces the oyster’s heroic journey. Humorous illustrations by Cruikshank neatly compliment the playful and informative text.