La Cucina Classica. Studi Pratici, Ragionati e Dimonstrativi della Scuola Francese Applicata in Servizio alla Russa. . . Prima traduzione pubblicata nell'idioma Italiano

Two volumes.  Large 4to.  300 x 220 mm., [11 3/3 x 8 ¾ inches].  lvi, 303 [1] pp; 363, [3] pp.  Illustrated with 64 plates with numerous images per plate.  Bound in contemporary leather backed boards; expertly repaired at the joints of both volumes with Japanese paper; text with some light foxing.

Second edition in Italian from the sixth French edition of Urbano Dubois's La Cuisine Classique published in Paris in 1886, illustrated with 77 plates.  This 1892 edition is a reprint of the first Italian edition published in Milan in 1877 and the recipes are enhanced with suggestions for using local Italian ingredients in many of the recipes.  Dubois originally published his book in 1856 and over time it was enlarged and added to by Dubios and Emilio Bernard. 

A monumental work of over 3000 recipes, prepared for the professional chef and restaurant business.  According to Henry Notaker, Dubois's manual of cuisine "boasted of innovations, originalité e toutes les nouveautés culinaires."  Dubois's innovations became the standard not only in France but were adopted in Russia and then in Italy in the 1870's. 

The work opens with over forty pages of menus for all occasions, followed by recipes beginning with soups, sauces, hot and cold hors-d'oeuvres, fish, meat, and desserts. .  The recipes are relatively short as they were prepared for experienced cooks, but each contains a list of ingredients, measurements, and cooking time. Each recipe also includes information about service techniques, how dishes should be decorated and presented to diners.  The 64 plates illustrate the how a dish should look before serving and document the types of table service that should be used for presentation.