The American Cider Book — Vrest Orton, 1st Ed. 1973

📖 THE AMERICAN CIDER BOOK by Vrest Orton (1973, Farrar, Straus and Giroux) — the definitive historical and practical chronicle of traditional American cider making. First edition hardcover in original pictorial dust jacket, well preserved in Very Good condition.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Vrest Orton (1897–1986)
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York
• Year: 1973 (stated First printing, 1973)
• Format: Hardcover in dust jacket
• Pages: 136 | ISBN: None (LCCN: 72-97616)
• Condition: Book: Very Good / Jacket: Good+ (full report below)

THE STORY

Written by Vrest Orton, founder of The Vermont Country Store and a prominent 20th-century preservationist, The American Cider Book explores the deep cultural, agricultural, and culinary roots of traditional cider in the United States. Orton traces the beverage from its colonial prominence—when early Americans including John Adams drank cider daily as a trusted household staple—through the bustling community cider mills of the 19th century and its sharp decline during Prohibition. Pairing historical research and interviews with veteran New England cider makers, Orton demystifies the cider craft with both historical lore and practical instructions for producing pure sweet and traditional fermented hard cider.

THIS EDITION

This is the stated first printing published in 1973 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in New York, released simultaneously in Canada by Doubleday Canada Ltd. Designed by Vrest Orton himself, the volume features Robert Frost’s poem “In a Glass of Cider” on the copyright page and a printed dedication to Orton’s son and business partner, Lyman K. Orton. The book is complete with its original pictorial dust jacket, unclipped and retaining the $6.95 publisher price on the front inner flap.

COVER ART / ILLUSTRATIONS / DESIGN

The pictorial dust jacket features an authentic archival woodcut engraving of a traditional rural cider-pressing scene with barrels and a horse-drawn cart, accented by bold red serif typography. Facing the title page, the frontispiece reproduces William Moore Davis’s renowned 19th-century oil painting Cider Making on Long Island (ca. 1870). The book is bound in durable brick red cloth-wrapped boards with crisp, bright gilt lettering along the spine. Throughout the interior 136 pages, the text is generously illustrated with vintage woodcuts, historic prints, and detailed technical line drawings showing historic cider equipment, including hand-hewn screw presses, pomace grinders, storage casks, and corking machines.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Foundational Beverage History: Published in 1973 decades before the modern craft cider revival, Orton’s volume was among the very first serious historical and practical studies dedicated to reviving traditional American apple cider.
• Authentic Historic Recipes: Features 120 authentic recipes, including 34 traditional cider-based drinks (mulled ciders, punches, sillabubs) alongside heritage kitchen recipes such as dried apple pie with cider, apple bread, and game basted in cider.
• Authored by a Cultural Legend: Vrest Orton (1897–1986) was a prominent figure in 20th-century New England culture, having worked on H. L. Mencken’s The American Mercury, co-founded the bibliophilic quarterly The Colophon, founded Vermont Life magazine, and established The Vermont Country Store in Weston, Vermont.

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? This is the true first edition, first printing published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1973, with “First printing, 1973” stated on the copyright page.

What condition is it in? The book is in Very Good to Very Good+ condition with tight hinges and bright gilt spine titling, while the original dust jacket is in Good+ to Very Good- condition with modest shelf wear and minor chipping along the front lower edge (full report below).

Is the dust jacket price-clipped? No, the dust jacket is complete and unclipped, showing the original $6.95 publisher price on the front flap.

FOR COLLECTORS

Original hardcover first printings of The American Cider Book complete with the original dust jacket are scarce in commerce compared to later softcover reprints, representing a key collector acquisition for culinary historians, homesteaders, and craft beverage libraries.

Condition Report

• Overall Grade: Book: Very Good (VG)/Very Good+ (VG+) // Jacket: Good+ (G+)/Very Good- (VG-)
• Cover & Spine: Brick red cloth-wrapped boards are clean and firm with bright, crisp gilt spine lettering; head and tail of spine remain sharp. Just a hint of sunning to cloth at the board upper corners. Spine cloth remains the same tone as the boards. Board corners fairly sharp with upper front just slightly bumped.
• Dust Jacket: Unclipped ($6.95); shows age-toning, faint scattered foxing spots to the rear panel and spine fold, and minor shelf wear to the top edge. Front lower edge is chipped with a thin linear loss along the edge.
• Text Block & Pages: Off-white/cream paper; clean and unblemished text block with sharp, unmarked pages throughout. No loose, torn or folded pages.
• Binding: Exceptionally tight, firm, and square, hinges solid front and back.

See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

HFB-SEO-v1: 2026-10-14

Shelf: 7-1-2

1 in stock