Rose Recipies

First published in London by Routledge in 1939, Rose Recipes is an uncommon and highly enchanting volume dedicated to utilizing the millions of garden roses commonly wasted each year in the British Isles. Spanning 95 pages, this delicate work compiles 83 traditional recipes that celebrate the multi-faceted virtues of the rose beyond its visual beauty. The text is thoughtfully divided into both cosmetic and culinary sections, offering explicit instructions for making aromatic pot-pourris, sweet bags, pomanders, perfumes, and "sweet waters" used for washing. On the culinary side, it delivers unique formulas for rose-petal conserves, jellies, syrups, marmalades, and even pickled rosebuds. Elevating the aesthetic appeal of this scarce volume are the striking, full-page line drawings and wide decorative page borders executed by the acclaimed British artist Helen Kapp, whose distinctive illustrations make this collaborative work a beautiful example of mid-century book design.

The mastermind behind this collection was Eleanour Sinclair Rohde (1881–1950), an extraordinary British gardener, garden designer, and prolific horticultural writer who authored thirty books during her career. Best known for her landmark 1931 publication The Scented Garden, Rohde was deeply passionate about reviving old-world herbal traditions and restoring forgotten culinary and medicinal practices to modern domestic life. Rather than simply inventing modern mixtures, Rohde acted as an elite culinary historian, meticulously gathering her recipes from her own expansive knowledge of traditional herbs as well as from the historical texts of 16th and 17th-century herbalists like Sir Hugh Platt and Sir Kenelm Digby. Her writing gracefully combined rigorous practical instruction with a romantic, evocative respect for nature, establishing her as one of the most influential figures in the early 20th-century renaissance of practical herbalism.

From a publishing and collecting perspective, this original 1939 Routledge first edition holds immense historical significance due to its extraordinary scarcity. Released right on the precipice of World War II, the book's distribution was severely limited, and institutional records indicate that WorldCat locates copies in only six university libraries worldwide. While a 1973 facsimile reprint by Dover Publications under the title Rose Recipes from Olden Times made the text widely accessible to casual modern audiences, the original 1939 volume—featuring its original black cloth boards adorned with pink floral decorations and matching Helen Kapp dust jacket artwork—remains a rare, highly sought-after volumes.

Original black cloth boards with pink floral decoration to board and matching dust wrapper. Chipping to upper edge and points of dust wrapper. Every page with lovely line illustrated boarders. Inscription to interior flyleaf dated Christmas 1946. Fine condition.