It is hard to imagine a time when coffee drinking was not part of every-day life and yet it was not until the end of the seventeenth century that it became widespread in Europe. The visit of the Turkish Ambassador to Louis XIV's court in 1669 helped to make coffee-drinking fashionable in France, so it is not surprising that it was a Frenchman who chose to extol its delights, not to mention its health-giving properties, in a long poem written in Latin, a popular language for verse throughout Europe until well into the eighteenth century. L'Abbe Guillaume Massieu, priest turned teacher, gives a witty yet instructive account of the origins of coffee, its real or alleged properties, and how to make the perfect cup, an account which loses none of its sparkle and humour in John T. Gilmore's masterly translation.

About the Author
Guillaume Massieu was born in Caen in 1665, and although he came from a humble background, he was sent to Paris at the age of sixteen to study with the Jesuits at the College de Louis-le-Grand, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in France. There he acquired a love of literature which led him to baulk at the desire of his superiors to turn him into a teacher of theology, and he eventually left the Jesuits in 1695. Supported by influential patrons, he became a member of the Academie royal des Inscriptions et Medailles, and, in 1710, Professor of Greek at the College royal de France. In 1714 he was elected a member of the Academie francaise. Afflicted by money worries and health problems in his last years, including cataracts which left him totally blind for a period until he had one eye operated on, he nevertheless continued his scholarly pursuits until his death in 1722 at the age of 57.


Book Information
ISBN 9781910345795
Author Guillaume Massieu
Format Paperback
Page Count 56
Imprint Arc Publications
Publisher Arc Publications