HappyCow Directory UK – 1881 In 1881 the entire UK had just 20 lacto-ovo vegetarian eating places & 22 food stores. The first title is ‘tongue in cheek’, HappyCow started in 1999, this ‘Directory’ is 118 years older, it is from the December 1881 issue of The Dietetic Reformer & Vegetarian Messenger – more discussion below. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .…
The ‘Alpha’ Restaurant There are now almost 110,000 reviews published on HappyCow. This is the earliest vegetarian restaurant ‘review’ which we have yet found – it was published on Feb. 7, 1880 – a Saturday. The ‘Alpha’ opened in London, UK in 1879 & promoted itself as London’s “First Food Reform Restaurant”. The ‘Alpha’ was the project of a ‘highly controversial’ couple – Thomas Low Nichols (1815–1901) & Mary Gove Nichols (1810 – 1884) . More…
Much more from Dan Piraro – here. Can you imagine living without salads? In the 1500s Queen Catherine (Catherine Parr – 1512–1548 – sixth wife of Henry the Eighth of England), would send a servant by boat from London, down the River Thames & across the English Channel, to France – to get a ‘take-away salad’ & bring it back to her! ~ The simple fact of the introduction of the…
Végétalisme historique / Historical Veganism The French were 20+ years ahead of the British in creating the names – le végétalisme – végétalien – végétalienne – ……for what Dorothy & Donald Watson termed – veganism – vegan – in 1944. Here we will give some tasters of French veganism going back to the early 20th Century. Most of the links in this blog post go to French sources. We will also present Jean…
‘..abandoning all animal food..’ = consuming nothing which has an animal source = 100% vegetarian = vegan Some Very Pleasant History Discussions of Vegan Advocacy from the 1840s An 1851 Article by R. T. Trall Russell Thacher ‘R. T.’ Trall’s – autographed 1860s Carte de Visite. The original is in the Ernest Bell Library. The article appeared in an Almanac published in London, UK in 1851 – by the London, UK based vegan, William Horsell. …
A wonderful vegan recipe book tainted by an old story. Un merveilleux livre de recettes vegan entachée par une vieille histoire. A source of the annoying – ‘Hitler was a vegetarian’ rumor – countered by Rynn Berry – see below. Ernest Bell Library item – Maïa Charpentier. – La Bonne Cuisine végétalienne. 500 recettes pratiques. Préface de Prosper Montagné. Editions La Caravelle & Imprimerie d’Art “Le Croquis”, 6, rue Bezout,…
Roosevelt standing with native hunters over a dead lion during a safari in 1910. Photo credit: Library of Congress – source ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The Making of the Brute From the UK publication – The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review – May 1910 – by – Henry S. Salt The Roosevelt press agents say that the long hunt is over, and that it “has been prolific in scientific results.” He and his…
An empty used envelope from 1909, got our Ernest Bell Library team talking a lot today. And the best part…… ……a tatty, but glorious, circa 1909 ‘Ingersoll family’ – ‘Anti-Vivisection Crusade’ Cinderella stamp, featuring a dog ‘sitting’ on a vivisector’s knife, has survived for 100+ years and is now in our Ernest Bell Library. ~ In philately, a cinderella stamp is “virtually anything resembling a postage stamp, but not issued for…
The Ernest Bell Library is holding 2 original copies of the book – ‘The Logic Of Vegetarianism : Essays And Dialogues’ / by Henry S. Salt. London : Ideal Publishing Union 1899 Physical description vi, 119 p. ; 19 cm. See the images below. I will firstly focus on one key section of the book, from page 11 – it is copied & transcribed below – Part of an 1899 discussion…
We could add many more links & notes to this blog piece. Vegetarianism, early veganism, the dawn of the animal rights movement, the roots of socialism, humanitarianism, the anti-vivisection movement, the suffragette movement, the anti-child labor movement & closely related causes, in 1880s & 1890s London, are most interesting topics to study. Probably 20% of our Ernest Bell Library collection is related in some way to these movements / causes…
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”— John Muir – image 4+ interesting minutes. When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after being absent nearly 70 years, the most remarkable “trophic cascade” occurred. What is a trophic cascade and how exactly do wolves change rivers? George Monbiot explains in this movie remix. Trophic cascades occur when predators in a food web suppress the abundance or alter traits (e.g., behavior) of their prey, thereby…
Beans, Logic & Consistency The Roots of Veganism When reading these old texts, please remember that there were very few vegetarian / vegan eating places in those days. London’s first vegetarian restaurants opened in the 1870s. Gradual change was often advised in books / journals – firstly giving up eating the meat of land animals – then giving up eating fish – then leaving dairy & eggs. Intensive factory farming was not yet…
A popular item in our Ernest Bell Library – the book – Mountain Meditations and some subjects of the day and the war. By Louise “Lizzy” Lind-af-Hageby – 1917 Lizzy was a member of the original Humanitarian League. She worked closely with Henry S. Salt, Ernest Bell, Jessey Wade & the other active members. Our collection of Lizzy’s books, journals, photographs, medals & pins is rarely ‘put away’ – it…