M.W., 1658

M[ONTAGU], W[alter] (c.1603-1677). The Queen's Closet Opened.London: for Nathaniel Brooks, 1658.

A classic “book of secrets”cookery manual. This text includes The Queen’s Closet Opened, supposedly a tell-all guide by a member of Queen Henrietta Maria’s household, often attributed to courtier and spy Walter Montagu, as well as A Queen’s Delightand The Compleat Cook. It contains instructions for all manner of recipes from candies and pies to “most admirable snail juice” and even cures purportedly invented by Paracelsus. ESTC R22538

12mo (143 x 75mm). Frontispiece portrait (some soiling and staining, one page with a few small holes; final leaf strengthened at outer edge). Modern calf by Ziegler; slipcase. Provenance: Elizabeth Oldfeld (early signature; by descent from her mother Ann) – Hunt Botanical Library (HBL bookplate, noted as withdrawn).