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Venus in the Kitchen: or Love's Cookery Book
The cult classic-now available for the first time with its original illustrations.
Toss your Viagra in the trash and make room on your shelf for Venus in the Kitchen , Norman Douglas' wry, eccentric, and highly practical collection of aphrodisiac recipes. Compiled by Douglas and his friends during their twilight years, it was intended for private use among those who were 'anxious to preserve for as long as may be possible the vitality of their youth and middle age'. Now, Venus in the Kitchen is available to all of us who crave an extra dose of vigor in our diets.
A whimsical marriage of the utilitarian and the absurd, this collection of over a hundred annotated recipes runs the gamut from the simple and delicious (almond soup) to the dangerously effective (hysterical water) to the downright ridiculous (sparrows' brains, crane). Complete with beautiful vintage illustrations, introductions by Graham Greene and Stephen Fry, and an unforgettable frontispiece by D.H. Lawrence (whom Douglas quipped 'certainly looked as if his own health would have been improved by a course of such recipes as I had gathered together'), Douglas' irreverent cookbook is a gift you can either slip discreetly under your lover's pillow, or keep for yourself.
Toss your Viagra in the trash and make room on your shelf for Venus in the Kitchen , Norman Douglas' wry, eccentric, and highly practical collection of aphrodisiac recipes. Compiled by Douglas and his friends during their twilight years, it was intended for private use among those who were 'anxious to preserve for as long as may be possible the vitality of their youth and middle age'. Now, Venus in the Kitchen is available to all of us who crave an extra dose of vigor in our diets.
A whimsical marriage of the utilitarian and the absurd, this collection of over a hundred annotated recipes runs the gamut from the simple and delicious (almond soup) to the dangerously effective (hysterical water) to the downright ridiculous (sparrows' brains, crane). Complete with beautiful vintage illustrations, introductions by Graham Greene and Stephen Fry, and an unforgettable frontispiece by D.H. Lawrence (whom Douglas quipped 'certainly looked as if his own health would have been improved by a course of such recipes as I had gathered together'), Douglas' irreverent cookbook is a gift you can either slip discreetly under your lover's pillow, or keep for yourself.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 1971
104 people want to read
About the author
Norman Douglas
91 books58 followersGeorge Norman Douglas was a British writer, now best known for his 1917 novel South Wind. His travel books, such as Old Calabria (1915), were also appreciated for the quality of their writing.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 9, 2022
Quite possibly one of the strangest but most intriguing cookbooks I’ve ever read. If you're looking for a recipe for Sparrow’s Brains or Leopard’s Marrow then this is the book for you. Still need to try out some “Aphrodisiac Drink” and “Hysterical Water”.
February 4, 2009
When Graham Greene writes an introduction, watch out. Darling to read, in a sort of Addam's Family sort of way.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews