Synopses & Reviews
Since its first publication in 1920, George Saintsbury's classic Notes on a Cellar-Book has remained one of the greatest tributes to drink and drinking in the literature of wine. A collection of tasting notes, menus, and robust opinions, the work is filled with anecdotes and recollections of wines and spirits consumed--from the heights of Romanee Conti to the simple pleasures of beer, flip, and mum. Saintsbury tried to be a (very minor) Ulysses, steering ever from the known to the unknown, eager to sip everything that experience might offer. His thoughts on wine are set into a dense, rich mix of literary and historical allusions from the Bible through the English canon and on to topical issues of his own day. Wine historian and literary scholar Thomas Pinney brings this unique work alive for contemporary audiences by providing the keys to a full understanding of Notes on a Cellar-Book, Reintroducing a book that inaugurated the modern tradition of wine writing, this edition includes explanatory endnotes, an essay on the book's legacy, and additional articles on wine by Saintsbury.
Review
and#8220;Few wine books posses the iconic status of George Saintsburyand#8217;s Notes on a Cellar-Book.and#8221;
Review
A glimpse into our viticultural past, as well as a revelation of how great wine and great literature can go hand-in-hand.
Review
and#8220;Read this book twice: once without pausing to flip back and forth-youand#8217;ll be beguiled, befuddled and amused-and then once with the notes.and#8221;
Review
A glimpse into our viticultural past, as well as a revelation of how great wine and great literature can go hand-in-hand.--Good Wine Under $20
Review
and#8220;An indispensable read.. . . Saintsbury's thoughtful love of drink comes through clearly.and#8221;
Review
As much a model for wine writing as . . . an historical document revealing how wines were once regarded and how times have changed.
Review
and#8220;If you love to drink wine, and love a good read, you have to get ahold of this book.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;There is much food for thought here, and a facinating window on another age of connoisseurship. and#8220;
Synopsis
Since its first publication in 1920, George Saintsbury's classic Notes on a Cellar-Book has remained one of the greatest tributes to drink and drinking in the literature of wine. A collection of tasting notes, menus, and robust opinions, the work is filled with anecdotes and recollections of wines and spirits consumedand#151;from the heights of Romanand#233;e-Conti to the simple pleasures of beer, flip, and mum. Thomas Pinney brings this unique work alive for contemporary audiences by providing the keys to a full understanding of Notes on a Cellar-Book in a new edition that includes explanatory endnotes, an essay on the book's legacy, and additional articles on wine by Saintsbury.
About the Author
George Saintsbury (1845-1933) was a journalist, reviewer, critic, editor, and Professor of Literature at the University of Edinburgh. Thomas Pinney is Professor of English Emeritus at Pomona College. Among other books, he is author of A History of Wine in America (in two volumes from UC Press).
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Introduction: George Saintsbury and and#145;Notes on a Cellar-Bookand#8217;
Bibliographical Note
Preliminary
Note to Third Edition
I. Origins
II. Sherry and Madeira
III. Port
IV. Claret and Burgundy
V. Champagne and Other French White Wines
VI. Hock, Moselle and the Rest
VII. Spiritsand#151;Hollands and Whisky
VIII. Spiritsand#151;Brandy, Rum and Gin, with Some Exotic Things
IX. Liqueurs
X. Beer, Cider, Etc.
1.Saintsbury, Notes on a Cellar-Book 32808 5:12 PM Page v
XI. and#147;Mixed Liquorsand#8221;
XII. Bottles and Glasses
XIII. Cellar Arrangements
Conclusio ad Diversos
(With a Few Barmecide Invitations)
APPENDIX: OTHER WRITINGS ON WINE AND SPIRITS BY SAINTSBURY
A Sentimental Cellar, The Yellow Book, April 1894
The Bounties of Bacchus, Athenaeum,
21 November 1919
and#147;White,and#8221; A Scrap Book, 1922
and#147;Obrian,and#8221; A Scrap Book, 1922
Le Temps Jadis: Wallet II, A Second Scrap Book, 1923
The Order of Drinks, A Second Scrap Book, 1923
The Qualities of Wine, Morning Post, 22 May 1923
The Cellar, The Book of the
Queenand#8217;s Dollsand#8217; House, 1924
Le Temps Jadis; Wallet V., 90and#8217;s and Later, A Last Scrap Book, 1924
Notes
Selected List of Works Cited
Index