The Honours of the Table by [Trusler, John] - 1791

[Trusler, Dr John (1735-1820)]

The Honours of the Table

[London?]: [Printed for the author at the Literary-Press?], [1788-91?].

Duodecimo (164x100mm) full tan embossed-linen grain cloth boards; brown leather spine label, gilt lettered and ruled; double endpapers; all edges speckled red, 120pp on wove paper. Twenty-six woodcut engravings (after John Bewick) illustrating how to carve meat, fish and game and a tailpiece of a heron fishing.

Neatly rebound in the late 19th or early 20th century.  Lacks all preliminaries, commencing at A2.  A careful comparison of the text with the 1791 digital version held by the University of Leeds Library shows it to conform in text and format to the 1791 edition and is thus possibly the 1791 edition.    Spine head and foot lightly rubbed and frayed; light shelfwear; top edge a trifle dusty; faint sporadic foxing; a little offset toning to edges of p.120. Generally almost near fine.

There are four major chapters: The Honours of the Table (rules for behaviour at Table); The Art of Carving; On Marketing; and, A Number of Valuable Hints or Concise Lessons worth the Attention of Young Persons (based on Trusler's earlier work Principles of Politeness).  Best known for the clear and superbly illustrated instructions on carving, the rest of this late 18th century juvenile etiquette manual, deserves attention for its' clear instruction on table service and etiquette in service a la francaise for hosts, dinners and staff.  Equally,  the chapter on marketing, supports setting a good table; an important social skill. The final chapter of pithy advice, whilst occasionally eccentric to modern ears would have well benefited some of Jane Austen's younger characters such as Lydia Bennett. 

Trusler was a Church of England Clergyman, publisher, author, compiler amongst many things.  A prolific writer, he authored and published many works on a range of divers subjects.  He is credited with publishing the first English language thesaurus and authored a number of books on conduct and etiquette.

Bewick's elegant engravings on carving technique were much copied (often plagiarised) in later years (e.g., the engravings illustrating the Art of Carving in Henderson's The Housekeeper's Instructor are almost identical)

Defective.  An excellent reference copy but lacking all preliminaries.

§ Cf. Cagle 1025-7; Oxford p.116-7; Maclean p.142; Pennell p.162-3; Bitting, p.466.