The hall-porter
has even less scruples, and stigmatises every feeding-place outside the
hotel as a den of thieves, where the stranger foolishly venturing is
certain to be poisoned and then robbed. This book is an attempt to help
the man who finds himself in such a position. His guide-book may
possibly give him the names of the restaurants, but it does no more. My
co-author and myself attempt to give him some details--what his
surroundings will be, what dishes are the specialities of the house,
what wine a wise man will order, and what bill he is likely to be asked
to pay.
Our ambition was to deal fully with the capitals of all the countries of
Europe, the great seaports, the pleasure resorts, and the "show places."
The most acute critic will not be more fully aware how far we have
fallen short of our ideal than we are, and no critic can have any idea
of the difficulty of making such a book as we hope this will some day be
when complete. At all events we have always gone to the best authorities
where we had not the knowledge ourselves. Our publisher, Mr. Grant
Richards, quite entered into the idea that no advertisements of any kind
from hotels or restaurants should be allowed within the covers of the
book; and though we have asked for information from all classes of
gourmets--from ambassadors to the simple globe-trotter--we have not
listened to any man interested directly or indirectly in any hotel or
restaurant.
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