The Compleat Housewife: or, Accomplish d Gentlewoman s Companion: Being a Collection of upwards of Six Hundred of the most approved Receipts in Cookery, Pastry, Confectionary, Preserving, Pickles, Cakes, Creams, Jellies, Made Wines, Cordials. With Copper Plates, curiously engraven, for the regular Disposition or Placing of the various Dishes and Courses. And also Bills of Fare for every Month in the Year. To which is added, A Collection of above Three Hundred Family Receipts of Medicines; viz. Drinks, Syrups, Salves, Ointments, and various other Things of sovereign and approved Efficacy in most Distempers, Pains, Aches, Wounds, Sores &c..., never before made publick; fit either for private Families, or such publick-spirited Gentlewomen as would be beneficent to their poor Neighbours. With Directions for Marketing -
E. Smith
1753 - Printed for R. Ware, London - Fifteenth Edition, with Additions
A wonderful early edition of Eliza Smith’s best-selling compendium of recipes, home remedies, and medicinal guidance, and complete with six engraved folding plates showing table settings. A great success in London, where it is was originally published in 1727, it later had the distinction of being the first cookery book printed in America, when it was printed and published in Williamsburg, Virginia, by William Parks in 1742.
Created as a household guide for the 18th century urban housewife, Smith’s extensive experience as a cook in various aristocratic houses, in addition to her chiding of the male culinary writers of the period, whom she claimed concealed their best recipes from the public, made her a popular figure amongst her contemporary female audience. References: Pennell, My Cookery Books 147. Bitting Gastronomic Bibliography, 438. Cagle A Matter of Taste, 996. Pennsylvania Library Exhibition ‘Household Works: Women Write from and for the Kitchen’ Web. Robbins Virginia Culinary Thymes 2005. Web americanantiquarian.org.
Large octavo (binding size 21x13.5cm), pp. [2] [2 (title)] [7 (’Preface’)] [1] [6 (’Bill of Fare for every Season of the Year’)] 396, 6 fold-out plates, xii (’Index’) [2]. With professional facsimile of frontispiece on matching paper. In later full brown calf, spine decorated and ruled in gilt, twin red morocco title labels lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges trimmed. Condition: Very good, toning and light foxing to first and last few pages, facsimile of frontispiece professional inserted opposite title page, complete with all six folding plates to rear, in near fine later binding, rubbing to folds, spine ends and corners. Ref: 112205 Price: HK$ 7,000
Created as a household guide for the 18th century urban housewife, Smith’s extensive experience as a cook in various aristocratic houses, in addition to her chiding of the male culinary writers of the period, whom she claimed concealed their best recipes from the public, made her a popular figure amongst her contemporary female audience. References: Pennell, My Cookery Books 147. Bitting Gastronomic Bibliography, 438. Cagle A Matter of Taste, 996. Pennsylvania Library Exhibition ‘Household Works: Women Write from and for the Kitchen’ Web. Robbins Virginia Culinary Thymes 2005. Web americanantiquarian.org.
Large octavo (binding size 21x13.5cm), pp. [2] [2 (title)] [7 (’Preface’)] [1] [6 (’Bill of Fare for every Season of the Year’)] 396, 6 fold-out plates, xii (’Index’) [2]. With professional facsimile of frontispiece on matching paper. In later full brown calf, spine decorated and ruled in gilt, twin red morocco title labels lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges trimmed. Condition: Very good, toning and light foxing to first and last few pages, facsimile of frontispiece professional inserted opposite title page, complete with all six folding plates to rear, in near fine later binding, rubbing to folds, spine ends and corners. Ref: 112205 Price: HK$ 7,000