A Practical Treatise on Brewing, Distilling, and Rectification, with the genuine process of making Brandy, Rum, and Hollands Gin, the London Practice of brewing porter, Ale, and Table Beer and the making [of] Wines, Cider and Vinegar; with a Copious Appendix on the Culture and Preparation of Foreign Wines, Brandies, and Vinegars - Robert Shannon 1805 - Robert Scholey, London - First and Only Edition Rare first edition of this comprehensive and landmark work on wines, spirits, and beers, that ‘may be considered the first modern book in English treating the subject’ of distillation’ [Buxton & Hughes] and the second book in English to discuss ‘modern wines’. [Gabler]

A finely bound large thick quarto volume of over 900 pages split into four parts:
Book I: Brewing for Malt Liquors (beer); Book II: Brewing for Distilling (spirits e.g. Gin, whisky, rum, brandy); Book III: Made Wines, Vinegar, Cider, and Perry; Appendix: Wines, Brandies, and Vinegars (mostly descriptions of foreign wines from Spain, France, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, and South Africa).

Illustrated with eight engraved plates and six tables.

According to Buxton and Hughes, ‘Shannon is credited with taking a recognisably systematic approach to the subject aiming, as he says to ‘
shew the distiller how he may proceed on rational principles’. ’Curiously for such a comprehensive work there appears to only ever have been one edition’.
  Reference: Bitting, Gastronomic Bibliography, 431. Gabler, Wine into Words, G35970. Simon, Bibliotheca Vinaria, 153. Lowndes 2367. Buxton & Hughes, The Science and Commerce of Whisky, 39 . Not in Eberhard Buehler, Viniana.

Thick quarto (binding size 29.2x23cm), pp. [2] xxxii 307 [1] 248, 135 [1] 183 [1 (Directions to the binder)] [2].
  Finely bound in three-quarter burgundy oasis morocco over matching burgundy cloth boards, titles tooled in gilt, raised bands. Edges uncut.   Condition: Near fine, occasional moderate light foxing, some browning to plates, many pages unopened with bolts uncut, in fine binding.   Ref: 103310   Price: HK$ 45,000