Banting for A Decent Meal

Banting on Corpulence, a dieting book for the 1860s

One of the things I love about book selling is that I’m always learning something new. This week, for example, I learnt that another copy of a book I’ve been trying to flog over the table for £100 was on abe books.  For a commendably ambitious £770! It’s by William Banting and it lays claim to be the first ever book on dieting specifically to lose weight. As diet books account for 98% of the world’s books they would seem to have a point. ‘First work on...’ has always been popular with collectors and food and drink is a strong subject. So I’ve listed it on ebay. Will it come in at a slimline double figure or head for the heights of 770lbs and a visit from a novelty TV show? Let’s see…

Harrison, Pall Mall, 1864. Reprint. Banting is still a term for dieting in some Scandinavian countries apparently.