Authors: Anne Chotzinoff Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas
Pages: 304
Illustrations: About 50 black and white reproductions of period illustrations
Maps: 1, of the Galapagos (to illustrate a recipe)
Footnotes: None
Appendices: None
Bibliography: 118 sources listed
Index: Approximately 1,000 entries
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, New York
Publication Date: 1997
Binding: Cloth (hardbound)
ISBN: 0-393-04559-55
Price: $29.95
Summary: This book is subtitled "Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels" which are a series of best-selling historical novels by Patrick O'Brian. The authors, who are mother and daughter and avid fans of the O'Brian novels, investigated and prepared all of the nearly 130 recipes presented in the book. Some appear delicious, despite odd names (hence the title Lobscouse and Spotted Dog), while others may never be fully appreciated by a modern palate (skip the pig's pancreas). The recipes were painstakingly researched and tested by Grossman and Thomas, who achieved their goal of recreating the menus and meals served aboard British ships during the Napoleonic Wars. Even if you don't plan to read the novels, or attempt the recipes, Lobscouse and Spotted Dog is still an entertaining read.

Irish author Patrick O'Brian has written 18 novels set in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. His main characters are Jack Aubrey, an English Captain who serves on different ships in the series, and Stephen Maturin, an Irish-Catalan ship's doctor who meets Jack in the first book and becomes an unlikely friend. The series, which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and created a huge following, are extraordinarily rich in period detail of every kind.

O'Brian, who is in his early 80s, grew up reading the lore of the sea. A very private person, it is speculated that he was in military intelligence in WWII, which may be the partial basis for Stephen Maturin's being a spy. O'Brian started writing these books in the early 1970s to critical acclaim, but the series did not become popular until the 1990s. Unlike some modern attempts at historical novels, the Aubrey/Maturin books are praised for their authenticity and accuracy.

Grossman and Thomas should be equally praised for their work. This opus, which includes a Foreword by O'Brian, is the authorized cookbook and gastronomic companion to the Aubrey/Maturin series. It presents historically authentic recipes, enabling us to understand what was meant by lobscouse (a stew or hash), skillygalee (oatmeal gruel), burgoo (another oatmeal dish), dog's nose (herbs and gin in beer), and spotted dog and drowned baby (types of puddings).

Rather than try to summarize the book further, we prevailed upon the authors to share some of their favorite recipes with the readers of Napoleon magazine. What better way to get a real "taste" of the book?

For those who are interested in more samples (including photos of work in progress), and additional details about the O'Brian novels, there is a Lobscouse and Spotted Dog web page linked to the Patrick O'Brian home page at http://www.wwnorton.com

Recipes

More Napoleonic Library

The Art of Louis-Leopold Boilly
Lobscourse and Spotted Dog