New to my shelves is The New England Economical Housekeeper And Family Recipe Book by Mrs. E. A. Howland, 1845. It's the Stereotype edition, if that matters to you.
One of the things I love about getting a book is checking out the marginalia the book seller didn't bother to note in the description. In this case, the inside front cover is signed:
Flora M. Berry, Sutton, Vt.
The next page is signed:
Mary Jane Berry, Sutton, Vt, Orleans County Steam Mill
And the next page is signed:
Mother's Book (Father is crossed out. He must have done something wrong).
The cover holds the price of 1/6.
At the end of the book there are a variety of recipes pinned to the various end papers. Lacking modern staples, pins were the modus operandi of the time.
Puddings, pies, custards, tarts, chicken and meats. Whoever said these New England Yankees lived a spartan life? Just reading this makes me hungry, clearly an occupational hazard.
There is a delightful frontispiece engraving displaying a hearth scene chock full of hearth activity. Take a moment and tally up what you can see happening here, the food in preparation, the cooking appliances, the furniture and the clothing. For one small vignette, there is a lot going on!
At only 108 pages, this little book offers a lot of punch (no apologies for the pun) from Montpelier, Vermont.
Best of all, no tool chests, no campaign chests, no anarchy and no philosophical debates of any sort other than why a certain recipe is good for dyspepsia. Oh! The Joy Of It!
If you can't wait for the reprint, Google Books has an eBook version.
Till next, Gary
