No date (_in fine_ October 16th, 1933). Three blank leaves, false
title; on verso, facing the title page (!) "_du mème auteur_"--a
full-page advertisement of the author's many-sided publications, past
and future. Title page, verso blank. On p. ix _Introduction_, a
lengthy discourse on dining in ancient times, including a mention of
Apician manuscripts and editions. This commences on p. Li with _Les
Manuscrits d'Apicius_. The _Introduction_ finishes on p. Lxxviii. On
p. 1 _Les Dix Livres d'Apicius_, on p. 2 a facsimile in black of the
_incipit_ of the Vatican manuscript, Apiciana II. On p. 3 commences
the translation into French of the Apician text, finishing on p. 308.
_Table Analytique_ (index) pp. 309-322. Follow three unnumbered
sheets, on the first page of which is the _Justification du tirage_,
with the date of printing and the printer's name, Durand of Chartres.
The copies printed are numbered from 1 to 679. The copy before us is
No. 2; copies 1 to 4 are printed on Montval vellum, 5 to 29 on Dutch
Pannekoek vellum, the rest, 30 to 679 on Vidalon vellum paper.
Unfortunately, the present work did not reach us until after ours had
gone to press. The text of this edition, the first to appear in the
French language, could not be considered in our work, for this reason.
However, a few casual remarks about it may be in order here.
A hasty perusal reveals the disconcerting fact that the editor has
been influenced by and has followed the example of Schuch by the
adoption of his system of numbering the recipes. We do not approve of
his inclusion of the excerpts of Vinidarius in the Apician text.
The observations presented in this edition are rich and varied. The
material, comprising the _Introduction_ and also the explanatory
notes to the recipes are interesting, copious and well-authenticated.
The editor reveals himself to be a better scholar, well-read in the
classics, than a practical cook, well-versed in kitchen practice.
Frequently, for instance, he confounds _liquamen_ with _garum_, the
age-old shortcoming of the Apician scholars.
The advertisement facing the title page of this work is misplaced,
disturbing.
Nevertheless, we welcome this French version which merits a thorough
study; this we hope to publish at some future date. Any serious and
new information on Apicius is welcome and much needed to clear up the
mysteries. The advent of a few additional cooks on the scene doesn't
matter. Let them give lie to the old proverb that too many cooks spoil
the broth. Apicius has been so thoroughly scrambled during the
sixteen-hundred years preceding his first printing which started the
scholars after him. So far, with the exception of a few minor
instances, they have done remarkably well. The complete unscrambling
can be done only by many new cooks, willing to devote much pain and
unremunerative, careful, patient work in discovering new evidence and
adding it to what there is already, to arrive at the truth of the
matter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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