Landmark Books in All Fields
ItemID: #109000
Cost: $15,000.00

New American Cookery, or Female Companion

Cookery

AN EXCEPTIONAL AMERICAN RARITY: 1805 FIRST EDITION OF NEW AMERICAN COOKERY, THE SECOND AMERICAN COOKBOOK

(COOKERY) (ANONYMOUS). New American Cookery, or Female Companion. Containing, Full and Ample Directions for Roasting, Broiling, Stewing, Hashing, Boiling, Preserving, Pickling, Potting, Fricasees, Soups, Puff-pastes, Puddings, Custards, Pies, Tarts, &c. Also, the Making of Wines and Cheese, Peculiarly Adapted to the American Mode of Cooking. By an American Lady. New-York: D.D. Smith, 1805. 12mo, rebound in early calf boards retaining original endpapers and black morocco spine label. Housed in a custom clamshell box. $15,000.

Rare first edition of only the second American cookbook, the first published in New York.

"Printed cookery books were almost unknown in North America during the first 150 years of her colonial history. The handful of published copies in circulation had all been brought over from Europe by the hopeful young wives of emigrant settlers in New England… In fact it was nearly the turn of the century before the name of an American author appeared on the title page of a cookery book printed in the United States" (Quayle, Old Cook Books, 131-33). Amelia Simmons' 1796 American Cookery, the first American cookbook, ran through four editions before the present volume was published. "There are some unusual recipes, one for spinach, a forerunner for the spinach of today, cooking with no added water, garnished with poached eggs, and unusual for that period; oranges cut in quarters" (Bitting, 581). Includes recipes for some distinctly American dishes, such as apple pie, chowder, crawfish soup, election cake, federal pancakes, Indian pudding, Indian slapjack, independence cake, mountain wine, and spruce beer. Cagle & Stafford 560. Bitting, 581. Early owner ink inscription to front flyleaf.

Light marginal dampstaining, first few and last few leaves with light cleaning, An extremely desirable copy of this scarce item.

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