A Rare, First-Edition Of The Savoy Cocktail Book Goes On Sale
If you’ve ever tried your hand in the art of mixology or if you consider yourself a cocktail connoisseur, chances are you’re familiar with The Savoy Cocktail Book. The legendary piece of literature, first published in 1930, serves as a sort of bible for bartenders, with 750 recipes of timeless, Prohibition-era cocktails created and compiled by Harry Craddock, a famous bartender from the American Bar in London’s Savoy Hotel. The book has been printed many times over since its conception, but now, spirit lovers will have a chance to get their hands on one of the first editions ever published, which goes on sale today at the ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair (NYIABF) in New York City.
The Jazz Age of the 1920s and 30s was a particularly transformational time for culture and society at large, a music-powered era that brought forth lavish, eccentric styles and tastes. It was a time that introduced vernacular still tied to the spirits world to this day, such as Prohibition, speakeasies and bootleggers. But amid this controversial underbelly was an age of liberation and discovery in the world of mixology. It’s in this very setting that The Savoy Cocktail Book was published, capturing the spirit of the era with its exhaustive list of recipes and its swanky, Art Deco-inspired style and cover-to-cover illustrations.
The man behind this timeless work was Harry Craddock, a world-renowned bartender who helped bring American Jazz Age cocktails to Europe. He was the head barman at The American Bar in the Savoy Hotel in London, a longstanding stalwart of luxury. The bar itself remains in the Savoy Hotel today, complete with its original jazzy, Art Deco spirit. It’s considered the longest surviving cocktail bar in London, first opening in 1893, and is among the most famous in the world.
The Savoy Cocktail Book that’s available for purchase at Antiquarian Book Fair is notably rare, a first edition, first printing and first issue. For the book collectors out there, each of those descriptors is quite important. For those unfamiliar with the jargon, to spare you a litany of technical details, they essentially mean that this particular copy was one of the very first ever published, a true representation of its original form. This edition is also signed by Harry Craddock and is generally in remarkable shape, with little to no deterioration. Such quality condition for an original book of this magnitude constitutes an understandably steep asking price, which is set at $12,500.
“This book is as essential to cocktail collectors as a first edition Hemingway is to literature lovers,” says Adam Davis, founder of Burnside Rare Books, seller of the book. “With its gorgeous design, rich history, and influence on modern mixology, it’s an iconic collectible that transports you to the glamour of the 1930s.”
Burnside will be showcasing, and offering the book for sale, at the 65th annual ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair which begins today and runs through Sunday, April 6. The fair will showcase more than 200 exhibitors from across the globe with items that range from unique, $50 finds to multimillion-dollar rarities. The event will be held at the Park Avenue Armory on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Tickets are still available here.
