With over sixty books about Port listed on this site I thought it would be useful to provide a few recommendations for those thinking of buying their first few books on the subject.

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For the Port Beginner...
The first book I owned on the subject of Port was Godfrey Spence's The Port Companion (1997), which provides an excellent starting point for those with very little knowledge about Port wine or the companies who produce it. I would certainly recommend this as a great place to start for anyone who wants a good, accurate understanding of the subject.

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For the Port Enthusiast...
The next book I bought was Richard Mayson's Port and the Douro (2004). In my view this is beyond any doubt "The Bible of Port Wine", and is the book that no Port enthusiast should be without. The second, revised and updated edition, published in the UK in 2004 and the US in 2006, is now quite expensive to obtain due to its popularity, but the earlier edition can be purchased quite cheaply. Unfortunately, the book has been out of print for some time so hopefully a new edition will be with us soon!

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For the Port Historian...
This is where my real passion lies when it comes to books about Port, so I will recommend more than one, in reverse chronological order:

Port Wine and Oporto, by Ernest E. Cockburn (Circa. 1949). Whilst this is not one of the most professionally edted and published books in the world, it being a bit of a random brain-dump of Cockburn's notes and thoughts, it is packed with fascinating insights into Port and the Port trade from the century that preceded it. If you want to buy one of these, expect to pay about the same as you would for a bottle of top-end 1970 Vintage Port!

Oporto, Old and New, by Charles Sellers (1899). This is the most comprehensive and detailed account that exists of the people and companies who developed the Port trade in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This is a very heavy read but is fascinating for anyone interested in the history of the companies that are familiar names today. A facsimile edition is available at moderate cost. A first edition will cost you the same price as a case of mature Vintage Port, if you are lucky enough to find one.

The Oliveira Prize-Essay on Portugal, by Joseph James Forester (1853). This is a fabulous old book that gives not only a great insight into the Port trade but also the people, industry and economy of Portugal in the mid-1900s. As an added bonus, the book contains a copy of Forrester's most famous work, his map of the Alto Douro. I have only seen this for sale once, and it is now mine. I have no idea what you might have to pay if another comes to market but you can find PDF versions on the internet.

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My final recommendation is that all of the above are best enjoyed whilst sipping a nice glass of Port.

Happy reading!

drt@booksaboutport.com

8th January 2012