AN EARLY AMERICAN HOME ECONOMICS-STYLE COOKBOOK: SCARCE FIRST EDITION OF REED'S THE WAY WE DID AT COOKING SCHOOL, 1896

REED, Virginia. The Way We Did at Cooking School. New York: American Publishers, 1896. Octavo, original red-stamped green cloth. $850.

First edition of this scientific guide to cooking—a precursor to home economics—written in epistolary format, in original cloth. Scarce.

"At the Columbian Exposition, the author of this decidedly pleasing volume heard one of the scientific cooking teachers say that women are responsible for the greater part of the dyspepsia and drunkenness in the world because they do not cook the food properly… She accordingly decided that for one she would like to understand cooking from a scientific standpoint, and undertook to attend a cooking school, located a thousand miles away… Miss Reed believes that the information acquired by herself at the cost of considerable time and money would be interesting to others… So her volume has been carefully prepared with the hope of gratifying those less fortunate than herself in this respect… [This book] must hold a notable place amongst those of its class" (Good Housekeeping, contemporary review). Ex-libris Storrs Agricultural College (University of Connecticut), with bookplate and owner inscription of a trustee.

Slight marginal staining to a few leaves and to one cloth edge. Paper loss to top corner of text block. A lovely, extremely good copy.