On the House

New York: Coward-McCann, 1955. First edition of this midcentury guide to restaurants and nightclubs in America’s top five dining cities. Public relations power brothers Matty and Don Simmons headed the advertising campaign for Diners’ Club, the first independent credit card company, and its mouthpiece, Diners’ Club News. On the House is the entertaining report of the brothers’ field research for the new company, including histories of regional dining scenes: “show me a place with good chopped liver and without noise.” Listings for four hundred hot spots in New York, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are accompanied by graphics by the Chilean artist Fabrès, known for his whimsical food and cocktail illustrations. Matty Simmons would go on to become an American pop culture mogul, creating Weight Watchers, National Lampoon, and Heavy Metal magazines. A very good first edition, published at the dawn of the American credit card revolution. Single volume, measuring 8 x 5.25 inches: xi, [1], 259, [1]. Original pictorial red cloth with vignette of chef to front board and spine titled in black, original unclipped color pictorial dust jacket. Pictorial title page, chapter titles, and illustrations throughout text. Light wear to jacket folds and spine ends; half-inch pink mark to front panel. (Inventory #: 1003952)