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.

Hotels as places to live in we have not considered critically, and have
only mentioned them when the restaurants attached to them are the
dining-places patronised by the _bon-vivants_ of the town.

Over England we have not thrown our net, for _Dinners and Diners_ leaves
me nothing new to write of London restaurants.

In conclusion I beg, on behalf of my co-author and myself, to return
thanks to all the good fellows who have given us information; and I
would earnestly beg any travelling gourmet, who finds any change in the
restaurants we have mentioned, or who comes on treasure-trove in the
shape of some delightful dining-place we know nothing of, to take pen
and ink and write word of it to me, his humble servant, to the care of
Mr. Grant Richards, Leicester Square. So shall he benefit, in future
editions, all his own kind. We hear much of the kindness of the poor to
the poor. This is an opportunity, if not for the rich to be kind to the
rich, at least for those who deserve to be rich to benefit their
fellows.

N. Newnham-Davis.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

PARIS
PAGE

The "Cuisine de Paris"--A little ancient history--Restaurants
with a "past"--The restaurants of to-day--Over
the river--Open-air restaurants--Supping-places--Miscellaneous 1

CHAPTER II

FRENCH PROVINCIAL TOWNS

The northern