19th Century Household Guides
William Spotswood
The Golden Cabinet
Dublin: Printed by James Hoey, at the Mercury in Parliament-Street, 1773
The full title of this work is “The Golden Cabinet Being the Laboratory, or Handmaid to the Arts. Containing such branches of useful knowledge, as nearly concerns all kinds of people, from the peer to the peasant, and will afford both profit and delight.” It is not a precursor to the modern cookbook, but instead a precursor to the 19th century cookbook, which was often half recipe collection, half household tips. Golden Cabinet only had recipes for fortified wines and cordials, alongside recipes for glue, skin powders, varnishes, as well as instructions for drawing, information on cement and plaster, and more.
T44.G6 1773
John Farley
The London Art of Cookery, and Housekeeper's Complete Assistant
London: Printed for J. Scatcherd and J. Whitaker ... B. Law ... and G. and T. Wilkie ..., 1787
This book was dedicated not to the housewife or home cook, but to the servant, cook, and housekeeper (in fact it was “made plain and easy” for their understanding.) Included are recipes for meat, sauces, vegetable dishes, desserts like puddings and tarts, wines and malt liquor, as well as directions for care of the sick, a guide to seasonal fruits, vegetables, and game, food suggestions for sea faring persons, and warnings about culinary poisons, like mushrooms, laurel, and the dangers of copper and lead cookware.
TX705.F35 1787
H. L. Barnum
Family Receipts, or Practical Guide for the Husbandman and Housewife
Cincinnati: Published by A.B. Roff, (Cincinnati : Lincoln & Co. Printers), 1831
Notably advertised to men and women, unlike later household guides, the book is divided into chapters on agriculture, gardening, brewery, cookery, dairy, confectionary, diseases, farriery (horse care), modes of grafting plants, sample account books, promissory notes, bills, and receipts.
TX153.B27 1831
Ester Allen Howland (1801-1860)
The American Economical Housekeeper, and Family Receipt Book
Worcester, Mass.: William Allen, 1845
First published as The New England Economical Housekeeper, this regional cookbook was an instant success when it was first sold in 1844, and featured recipes for salt cod and chowder alongside advice and medical cures.
TX715.H69 1845
The Household Treasure
Philadelphia: Published by Barclay & Co., 1864
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TX715.H758 1864
Juliet Corson (1841-1897)
Miss Corson’s Practical American Cookery and Household Management
New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1886
Juliet Corson (1841-1897) was described by The New York Times as arguably its first star columnist. She was the founder and director of the New York School of Cookery, and an advocate for economy of household matters. Corson was also an advocate for healthy eating centered around vegetables and for French cuisine.
TX715.C843 1886
P.P. Pratt (1807-1857)
Home Economy, Etc.
Salt Lake City: Geo. Q. Cannon & sons, c1895
Much more of a home and family guide than a cookbook, nevertheless it includes recipes for jam and pie, in between a cure for smallpox, meditations on the importance of fresh air and sunlight, and suggestions for the best cash crops. The advice was compiled and edited by Parley P. Pratt (1807-1857) who was an early leader of the Latter-Day Saints and the great-great-grandfather of Mitt Romney.
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TX153.H66 1895