I think it was last week I was pretty annoyed by a book that should have been available via Google Book search but wasn’t: The Epicure’s Almanack, written by Ralph Rylance in 1815. An academic had written about it, then published the book with a forward, which was selling originally for $50. Just typing that cheeses me off again.

Anyway, the divine Isobel Carr owns a copy and she has loaned it to me because she is awesome that way.

Danger Lurks!

I am now living in fear that the dog or the paper chewing cat will damage the book. This is not an idle worry. Here’s a picture of some of the dog’s recent work:

Bad Dog. Photo by Risky Carolyn

And here’s the cat’s handiwork, as you can see below. I believe she expects to have completely consumed this box by late 2017. She plays a deep game, this cat. Suppose she finds the book and thinks it’s tasty? (Sorry Isobel!)

Bad Cat. Photo by Risky Carolyn

And so?

Yeah, so anyway, I have this borrowed book that is at high risk of mayhem because it would cost me a fortune to replace it. Having flipped through it, I must grudgingly confess it might be extra useful because of the footnotes. It’s a great resource and Ralph Rylance has quite the amusing voice. In fact, anyone interested in absorbing the flavor of Regency London would do well to have this book at hand.

I’m off to look for a used copy…