BACCHUS MEETS HIPPOCRATES

Ellwanger, George H. (1849–1906)

Meditations on Gout: With a Consideration of its Cure Through the Use of Wine [First Edition; George Wharton Edwards Decoration]

New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1897. First Edition, First Printing.
A BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED FIN-DE-SIÈCLE GIFT BOOK ABOUT WINE, DINING, AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF CIVILIZED LIVING, DISGUISED AS A DISCUSSION OF GOUT.

WINE WAS THE PRESCRIPTION!
One of the most attractive American gift books devoted to the pleasures—and consequences—of the Victorian dining table. Written by Rochester horticulturist, essayist, and wine enthusiast George H. Ellwanger, Meditations on Gout combines medical history, literature, humor, gastronomy, and practical advice into an engaging reflection on one of civilization's oldest afflictions. Rather than presenting a clinical medical treatise, Ellwanger transforms gout into an excuse for discussing food, wine, gardens, and the art of civilized living.

ESSAY INSTEAD OF A MEDICAL TEXT.
Organized into chapters examining the malady, its causes, palliatives, regimen, prescribed fluids, and possible cures, the work draws freely upon classical authors, physicians, poets, and centuries of anecdotal experience. Ellwanger argues—with characteristic wit—that moderation, particularly in the enjoyment of wine, offers a more agreeable remedy than many contemporary medical interventions.

THE BOOK AS AN ART OBJECT.
Equally appealing is the book's remarkable Arts & Crafts-inspired design by George Wharton Edwards. The richly gilt pictorial cloth, decorative typography printed in red and black, ornamental title page, and elaborate chapter openings elevate the volume well beyond an ordinary medical publication. It remains an appealing crossover collectible for those interested in fine American book design, gastronomy, wine literature, and the history of medicine.

CONDITION: The bindings are tight and square. Text is clean with light, even age-toning. No structural flaws or blemishes beyond minimal shelf handling. Some foxing is present to the preliminary leaves and along the outer fore-edge of the text block, with occasional light scattered foxing extending into the margins. The decorative gilt remains bright and unusually well preserved. Contemporary engraved bookplate of bibliophile Frederick Woodward Skiff on the front pastedown.  

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Publisher's red cloth elaborately decorated in gilt on the front board with a matching blind-stamped version of the design on the rear board. Spine lettered and ornamented in gilt with repeating grapevine motifs. Title page printed in red and black. Decorative frontispiece and title-page ornamentation designed by George Wharton Edwards. Octavo; 7.5 inches tall. xvi, [2], 3–208 pages, followed by the Index. Printed by the University Press of John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Each principal division opens with a large ornamental historiated initial printed in red, incorporating flowing Arts & Crafts foliage and interlaced decorative forms. These oversized illuminated initials establish each chapter with a strong visual identity and complement the overall decorative program of the volume.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: DINING, WINE, AND THE GENTLEMAN SCHOLAR.
 George H. Ellwanger belonged to the generation of late nineteenth-century American gentleman essayists who combined wide reading with practical experience. Better known for his writings on horticulture and country life, he approached gout not simply as a medical condition but as an inevitable companion to refined dining, hospitality, and civilized pleasures.

THE CULTURE OF GASTRONOMY.
Published during America's Gilded Age, Meditations on Gout reflects an era when gastronomy, wine appreciation, gardening, and literature increasingly intersected. Rather than prescribing rigid medical doctrine, Ellwanger assembled quotations from classical authorities, physicians, philosophers, and literary figures to produce an entertaining meditation on health, moderation, and the rituals surrounding the table.

AN EXAMPLE OF AMERICAN BOOK DESIGN.
The volume is equally notable for its publisher's presentation. George Wharton Edwards' decorative program reflects the influence of the Arts & Crafts movement then flourishing in American book illustration and design. The harmonious integration of gilt-stamped binding, ornamental typography, decorative initials, and two-color printing makes the volume an attractive example of late nineteenth-century American gift-book production.

PROVENANCE: A contemporary engraved bookplate of Frederick Woodward Skiff (1867–1947) is mounted to the front pastedown. Skiff was an author, bibliophile, and respected collector of Americana who founded The Acorn Club in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1899. The club became noted for publishing finely printed works devoted to American historical subjects, making his ownership an appropriate association for a volume celebrating the literary pleasures of wine, dining, and cultivated living.

SUBJECTS: George H. Ellwanger, George Wharton Edwards, Gout, Wine, Oenology, Gastronomy, Victorian Medicine, Medical Essays, Decorative Publishers' Bindings, Arts & Crafts Movement, Food History, Drinking Culture, Nineteenth-Century American Literature, Wine Literature, Gastronomy, Medical History, Essays, Americana, Decorative Bindings, Arts & Crafts Book Design.

Item #22311

Price: $135.00