R[obert] (le sieur) L'art de bien traiter, divisé en trois parties. Ouvrage nouveau, curieux, et fort galant, utile a toutes personnes, et conditions, first edition, title with woodcut ornament, woodcut head- and tail-pieces, final f. blank, stained and foxed, contemporary calf, richly gilt spine in compartments, head of spine and corners worn, a few areas of worming / chipping, stained, rubbed, [Bitting p.518; Cagle 407; Livres en bouche 115; Notaker 628.1; Vicaire 43-44], large 12mo, Paris, Jean du Puis, rue S. Jacques à la Couronne d'or, 1674.

⁂ Rare copy at auction of this classic of French cookery. We can trace only a handful of copies since 1966, including ours, last sold in 2007. The preface includes a diatribe against La Varenne, probably borne out of jealousy having witnessed the success of his Le Cuisinier françois. Includes suggestions for eating al fresco in gardens, grottoes or woods. Jean du Puis, to whom the privilege was granted, assigned part of the edition to Frédéric Léonard, and accordingly we find a variant imprint with the latter's name.