Charles H. Baker, Jr. has left us a treasure. A gentleman and a man of ample means, he also had wit and taste. We turn often to his The Gentleman's Companion. This is a two-volume work: Volume 1, Being an Exotic Cookery Book, Volume 2, Being an Exotic Drinking Book. These are priceless collections of recipes for dishes and drinks gathered from around the world in the 1920's and 1930's when life was a less complex affair. Baker comments on them all with just the right touch. If you wonder what it would be like to have a South India curry in Trichinopoly or to drink a Buck in Shanghai you have it here. We modify the cooking recipes; a preparation for wild boar in Java works well for ham. The drinks stand as they are. A classic, it can never be updated, rewritten, or replaced. The last edition was a 1946 Crown reprint. You are blessed if you can find it.