In the Oxford dictionary the word 'muse' has two definitions. One refers to 'The Muses – nine goddesses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, inspirers of poetry, music, drama, etc.' From this comes the word we use to describe an artist or poet's source of inspiration. The other definition tells us that 'muse' means to 'Ponder, reflect (on, upon); gaze meditatively (on)... '
For me, the items featured here have a foot in both camps.
A girl in the student flat that I was in at college had a copy of this book and I was impressed. It managed to be at once not only exotic but also practical and I knew I had to have one. It is by far the most thumbed cookery book I own – on its last legs really – but I can't quite bring myself to replace this copy.