Mushroom Identification and Gastronomy in France, England, and Russia, 1861–1957

Mushroom Identification and Gastronomy

First Edition

Book collection, 1861–1957, assembling three works on mushrooms and truffles that document the development of mycology, foraging practices, and culinary uses of fungi across France, England, and Russia. The earliest volume, by French naturalist Jules Rémy, presents a mid-nineteenth-century synthesis of botanical observation and gastronomy, detailing identification, preservation, and preparation of mushrooms and truffles within a European culinary tradition. The later English work by W. Delisle Hay reflects the expansion of amateur natural history in the late nineteenth century, providing accessible guidance for identifying edible and poisonous species. The twentieth-century Russian volume extends this trajectory into a more modern scientific and instructional framework, incorporating photographic illustration and systematic indexing. Together, the collection traces changing approaches to fungi as objects of scientific study, subsistence knowledge, and culinary practice across multiple linguistic and national contexts.

Rémy, Jules. Champignons Truffes. Paris: Librairie Agricole de la Maison Rustique, 1861. First edition. Hay, W. Delisle. The Fungus Hunter’s Guide. London: Swan Sonnenschein, Lowrey and Co., 1887. Russian-language work on mushrooms. [Moscow or other city]: [publisher not specified], 1957. Three volumes spanning France, England, and Russia, presenting illustrated guides to mushroom identification, preparation, and study. Rémy’s work includes twelve color lithographed plates depicting species such as morels, chanterelles, and ceps, alongside discussion of truffle preparation and preservation. Hay’s guide is intended for amateur mycologists, with illustrations and indexed reference material to support field identification. The Russian volume includes photographic and illustrated content with systematic organization of species.

Three volumes. Rémy: 173 pages with color plates; soft covers retaped, some foxing not affecting text or plates. Hay: 154 pages in original green boards with light shelfwear. Russian volume: 168 pages in soft covers with printed and photographic illustrations. Overall very good condition. A cross-national grouping of works documenting the scientific and culinary study of mushrooms from the nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries.

Item #17935

Price: $550.00