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Since its first publication in 1920, George Saintsbury's classic
Notes on a Cellar-Book has remained one of the greatest tributes to drink and drinking in the literature of wine. A collection of tasting notes, menus, and robust opinions, the work is filled with anecdotes and recollections of wines and spirits consumed--from the heights of Romanée-Conti to the simple pleasures of beer, flip, and mum. Thomas Pinney brings this unique work alive for contemporary audiences by providing the keys to a full understanding of
Notes on a Cellar-Book in a new edition that includes explanatory endnotes, an essay on the book's legacy, and additional articles on wine by Saintsbury.
List of contents
List of Illustrations
Introduction: George Saintsbury and ‘Notes on a Cellar-Book’
Bibliographical Note
Preliminary
Note to Third Edition
I. Origins
II. Sherry and Madeira
III. Port
IV. Claret and Burgundy
V. Champagne and Other French White Wines
VI. Hock, Moselle and the Rest
VII. Spirits—Hollands and Whisky
VIII. Spirits—Brandy, Rum and Gin, with Some Exotic Things
IX. Liqueurs
X. Beer, Cider, Etc.
1.Saintsbury, Notes on a Cellar-Book 32808 5:12 PM Page v
XI. “Mixed Liquors”
XII. Bottles and Glasses
XIII. Cellar Arrangements
Conclusio ad Diversos
(With a Few Barmecide Invitations)
APPENDIX: OTHER WRITINGS ON WINE AND SPIRITS BY SAINTSBURY
A Sentimental Cellar, The Yellow Book, April 1894
The Bounties of Bacchus, Athenaeum,
21 November 1919
“White,” A Scrap Book, 1922
“Obrian,” A Scrap Book, 1922
Le Temps Jadis: Wallet II, A Second Scrap Book, 1923
The Order of Drinks, A Second Scrap Book, 1923
The Qualities of Wine, Morning Post, 22 May 1923
The Cellar, The Book of the
Queen’s Dolls’ House, 1924
Le Temps Jadis; Wallet V., 90’s and Later, A Last Scrap Book, 1924
Notes
Selected List of Works Cited
Index
About the author
George Saintsbury (1845–1933) was a journalist, reviewer, critic, editor, and Professor of Literature at the University of Edinburgh. Thomas Pinney is Emeritus Professor of English at Pomona College. Among other books, he is author of A History of Wine in America (in two volumes from UC Press).
Summary
Since its first publication in 1920, George Saintsbury's classic Notes on a Cellar-Book has remained one of the greatest tributes to drink and drinking in the literature of wine. A collection of tasting notes, menus, and robust opinions, the work is filled with anecdotes and recollections of wines and spirits consumed—from the heights of Romanée-Conti to the simple pleasures of beer, flip, and mum. Thomas Pinney brings this unique work alive for contemporary audiences by providing the keys to a full understanding of Notes on a Cellar-Book in a new edition that includes explanatory endnotes, an essay on the book's legacy, and additional articles on wine by Saintsbury.
