Hünersdorff notes that this work has been “long considered a classic.” In addition to a history of coffee and an explanation of coffee’s medical benefits, Cadet-de-Vaux gives a chemist’s perspective on coffee’s components and properties, as well as detailed explanations of various types of preparation. The author’s nephew, Charles-Louis Cadet-Gassicourt, provided the chemical analysis at the back of the volume.

•  Bitting, 72; Hünersdorff, Coffee, 240–41; Vicaire, 138 (1807 ed. only). Contemporary blue paper–covered boards, spine darkened, paper rubbed over edges, extremities, and (especially) corners, with a small nick to the front cover and some spotting to the back. A few leaves showing faint hints of foxing, most clean; no coffee stains. Quite a satisfactory copy.