Month: November 2024

The Token and Atlantic Souvenir: An Offering for Christmas and the New Years is a gift book featuring a collection of prose, poetry, and illustrations. Gift books, unlike regular books, catered primarily to women and young girls, emphasizing aesthetic appeal over content. These books featured elaborate bindings and luxurious materials, serving as decorative objects meant for display rather than reading. The Token and Atlantic Souvenir embodies the gift book tradition, featuring works from renowned writers like Henry Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Samuel Griswold Goodrich. Though many writers contributed to the book, these four are the most well-known.  

Figure 1: Contents

Henry Longfellow, one of the most famous contributors, was a celebrated American poet, known for works such as “Paul Revere’s Ride,” The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. Longfellow was a member of the Fireside Poets, a group cherished in New England for their focus on themes of mortality and domesticity. His poem “The Two Locks of Hair” is featured in The Token and Atlantic Souvenir.  

Figure 2: The Two Locks of Hair

Another prominent contributor, Harriet Beecher Stowe, is best known for her abolitionist novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Stowe was a prolific author and social justice advocate who wrote 30 books and many articles and letters. Her poem “The Yankee Girl” is included in The Token and Atlantic Souvenir. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne, known for his novels The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables, also has several works featured in the gift book. He is best known for his works on history, morality, and religion. Hawthorne is one of the only writers in The Token… with multiple works featured. This shows his standing in 19th-century American literature; his works brought prestige to the gift book. His works “The Shaker Bridal,” “Night Sketches, Beneath an Umbrella,” and “Endicott and the Red Cross” are all included in the gift book.  

Samuel Griswold Goodrich, who edited the annual under his pseudonym Peter Parley, included his own essay “Sketches from a Student’s Window.” Due to his work as the editor of The Token…, many people accept him as the author of the book. His efforts played a pivotal role in shaping the content of the gift book, curating works that appealed to the cultural beliefs of the time.  

 Beyond the literary contributions, the craftsmanship of the book further elevates its status. The intricate binding, high-quality parchment, and detailed engravings all showcase the gift book’s intended purpose: to be a visual and tactile display piece. The Token… likely used parchment rather than vellum or sheepskin for its binding. Parchment is smooth, with a consistent texture on either side, while animal skin has a side with hair remnants. The uniformity of the parchment enhanced the book’s elegance. The engraved cloth cover added another layer of sophistication. The New York company Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Smillie engraved the intricate artwork on the covers. The paper quality also set gift books apart from regular publications; J.M. and L. Hollingsworth are the papermakers for the book. Benjamin Bradley, one of Boston’s most skilled bookbinders, ensured that the book’s construction matched its artistic design.  

Figure 3: Front Cover

Figure 4: Book Spine

Several contributors also played key roles in the production of The Token and Atlantic Souvenir, reflecting the collaborative nature of gift books. Samuel N. Dickinson, a prominent Boston printer, was a key contributor to the project. His work earned praise for its precision and clarity, and his work helped popularize the Scotch Roman typeface in the United States. David H. Williams, the primary publisher, oversaw the Boston editions of The Token and Atlantic Souvenir. To expand the book’s reach, Williams collaborated with other publishers across the United States, as well as in England and France. These publishers were included on the title page in the book, showing readers the prestige and reach that the book had; it indicated that it was not simply a local publication, but rather popular worldwide. Many publishers allowed the book to gain popularity worldwide.  

Figure 5: List of Publishers

The annual series, published from 1829 to 1842, featured new content every year, showcasing different authors and artistic styles. The variations between editions reflected changes in literary trends and advancements in printing technology. Gift books bridged the gap between art, literature, and commerce in the 19th-century. They were luxury items that reflected one’s social status, particularly that of the gift giver. The intricate designs and sophisticated content distinguished them from regular books. Gift books catered to an audience that valued aesthetic beauty and intellect, making them prized possessions in the 1800s. Through their exquisite design and curated content, gift books offered more than entertainment; they reflected the cultural and social beliefs of the time.  

Figure 6: Ornate Title Page

Works Consulted

“Details For: The Token and Atlantic Souvenir, : An Offering for Christmas and the New Year. › Library Company of Philadelphia Catalog.” Kohacatalog.com, 2024, librarycompany.kohacatalog.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=277999.  

Hurley, Natasha. “Typee and the Making of Adult Innocence.” Studies in American Fiction, vol. 46, no. 1, Mar. 2019, pp. 31–54. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=0b5e2281-7d17-3175-bf1d-5feb5f019117.  

McGettigan, Katie. “Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the Transatlantic Materials of American Literature.” American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism, and Bibliography, vol. 89, no. 4, Dec. 2017, pp. 727–59. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.dickinson.idm.oclc.org/10.1215/00029831-4257835.  

“Rare Gift Books.” Brandeis.edu, 2024, www.brandeis.edu/library/archives/essays/special-collections/rare-gift-book.html.  

“Reviews of the Token for 1842.” Merrycoz.org, 2024, www.merrycoz.org/voices/token/reviews/1842.xhtml.  

Silver, Rollo G. “Flash of the Comet: The Typographical Career of Samuel N. Dickinson.” Studies in Bibliography, vol. 31, 1978, pp. 68–89. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40371675  

URAKOVA, ALEXANDRA. “Hawthorne’s Gifts: Re-Reading ‘Alice Doane’s Appeal’ and ‘The Great Carbuncle’ in The Token.” The New England Quarterly, vol. 89, no. 4, 2016, pp. 587–613. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26405815 

    French Cookery The Modern Cook, by Charles Elme Francatelli, was an exceedingly influential cookbook of its time. I am studying a copy of the second edition for a class at Dickinson College (Figure 1). For more information about the specific copy I am studying, read my first blog post. This blog will primarily focus on the author’s backstory and the creation of this book.

     Published in 1846, French Cookery took off, and its cultural and influential success led Francatelli to publish more cookbooks for different audiences (Habit, 2019). Since this book was published nearly 200 years ago, information on its origins is minimal. The processes are assumed to be well-known, as the era’s typical printing and publishing process is well-known.

     Charles Elme Francatelli was an accomplished chef thanks to his education, work experiences, and popular cookbooks. He was born in Italy and was the first in his family to move to France. He was educated at the Parisian College of Cooking (Flantzer, 2024). After graduating, he moved to England, where his career took off. He worked at many different clubs and typically worked for nobles and aristocrats at Fashionable Crockfords and The Reform Club (Bishop, 2021). These clubs were only accessible to the wealthy. He managed and was the head chef for these clubs. His mentor (who is accredited on the title page), Antonin Caramel, is accredited for influencing French Haute Cuisine, which is an elegant type of cooking still popular today (Myhrvold, 2019). Haute Cuisine (high cooking) refers to food that is typically seen in high-end restaurants. This style includes only the highest quality ingredients (Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, 2022). Ratatouille, Quiche, and Crème Brulé are common French Haute dishes. Francatelli’s main claim to fame was his short stint working for Queen Victoria. For two years before publishing his first book, he was the head chef for the queen. He slightly brags about this job on the title page of this book. Francatelli was such an icon of his time that in the TV show Victoria (2016), he was included as a character working for Queen Victoria (Habit, 2019). His main influence on the culinary world was popularizing the concept of two-course meals. Previous to his influence, Nobles would have extravagant meals, typically three or four courses with many options for each course. He did this through his recipes and his cookbooks. He made it the norm to have an entrée and a sweeter second dish for lunch as well as dinner (Fisher,1998). His influence is still seen today as the two-course meal is still typical for a home-cooked meal.

      Francatelli published his first cookbook, French Cookery, in 1846. Both the first and the second edition were published in the same year. I couldn’t find any information about his inspiration to publish a cookbook. French Cookery took off and had a total of 29 different editions. The different editions were published by a variety of different publishers. There was a distinct London edition that most likely only varied in what specific ingredients were being used. I could not find any information on the London edition; however, the typical variance for London editions was the ingredients. These changes were made to make cooking convenient for people as the availability of ingredients varied from America to Europe. Lea and Blanchard in Philadelphia printed this specific version of French Cookery, The Modern Cook, which is the second edition of the book; this copy is not the London edition. Lea and Blanchard, which was a part of the Carey Publishing House (the largest publisher in America), was one of the most popular publishing houses in Philadelphia in the 19^th century (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 2008). Lea and Blanchard published many popular books at the time; some of the titles include Oliver Twist, The Pathfinder, Peter Pilgrim, and The Pioneers. At the time, French Cookery was included in these iconic titles. I could find no information about the printer of this book.

      After the success of Francatelli’s first cookbook, he went on to publish three more cookbooks targeting different demographics (Bishop, 2021). The first book was mainly for upper-class families or upper-class establishments. This book’s preface talked about how some of the ingredients are very expensive and how these recipes could be wasteful if not cooked properly; showing that these recipes aren’t accessible for lower class people. His second book, A Plain Cookery Book For The Working Class, was published in 1852 and was intended as a more practical cookbook with cheaper recipes that had more attainable ingredients. His third book, The Cooks Guide and Housekeepers and Butlers Assistants, published in 1861, included the most attainable recipes through cheaper and more common ingredients. His last book, Royal English and Foreign Confectionery Book, was published in 1862 and had less of an intended audience and had more specific recipes for confectionery foods (The Cooks Guide, 2005). All of Francatelli’s books were very successful (as they all went through many editions), and with each book, he made cooking increasingly more accessible for all classes by creating recipes that included easier-to-find and cheaper ingredients.

      The specific copy of French Cookery, The Modern Cook, that I am studying was printed on an early version of wood pulp paper. This paper doesn’t include a lot of chemicals; these would become the standard later in printing. Wood pulp paper became popularized in the 1850’s. As it became more common, the paper became more acidic. The paper is flimsier, more brittle, weaker, and more susceptible to tearing than non-acidic wood pulp. Now newspapers are printed on this acidic wood pulp paper. This paper is very sturdy and strong and shows that the chemicals hadn’t been added to the wood pulp paper yet. Wood pulp paper is more susceptible to foxing, which is present on every page of the book, even without acid, the paper foxes (Figure 2). This helped decern the paper material. This book is cloth-bound and was likely bound before distribution over a cardboard panel. This book was more affordable than a book bound with leather.

      The gift plate includes a lot of information about where this specific copy came from. The gift plate suggests the owner who donated this book lived in Carlisle, Pennsylvania (Figure 3). There were multiple owners of this book. I believe Mrs. B. Stilingfleck was the original owner of this copy; her signature was included on the title page. However, the person who donated the book was Mr. A. Gram. This book was donated in 1851, only five years after its publication. In those five years, this copy of French Cookery was owned and used by Mrs. B. Stilingfleck and then somehow ended up in Mr. Gram’s possession.

Works Cited

Bishop, Amy. “The Booker T. Washington-W.E.B. Du Bois Debate.” Cardinal Tales Highlights from 2018, Iowa State University Digital Press, 7 July 2021, iastate.pressbooks.pub/cardinaltales1/chapter/rare-book-highlights-.

“Charles Elme Francatelli.” Charles Elme Francatelli (1805-1876) Chief Cook to Her Majesty the Queen, www.thecooksguide.com/articles/francatelli.html.

Collection 227B – Lea & Febiger, hsp.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/migrated/findingaid227bleaandfebiger.pdf.

“Food: The Arts (Fine and Culinary) of 19th Century America.” The New York Times, 18 Jan. 1998, archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/01/18/home/fisher-19th.html.

“Grande Cuisine: References & Edit History.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/grande-cuisine/additional-info#history.

Habit, | By Franklin. “In the Kitchen with Francatelli, Part One.” Modern Daily Knitting iCal, Modern Daily Knitting, 15 Jan. 2020, www.moderndailyknitting.com/community/in-the-kitchen-with-francatelli-part-one/.

Larson, Sarah. “What Is Haute Cuisine?” Escoffier Online, Escoffier, 8 June 2022, www.escoffieronline.com/what-is-haute-cuisine/.

Susan, and Susan. “Charles Elmé Francatelli, Maitre d’hôtel and Chief Cook in Ordinary to Queen Victoria.” Unofficial Royalty, 9 Aug. 2024, www.unofficialroyalty.com/charles-elme-francatelli/.

The Secrets of . . . Who?

The different people who played a role in The Secrets of Alexis

1559 Italian Cover Page; Translation: Of the Secrets of the Reverend Master Alexis of Piemonte; The First Part Divided in Six Books; In Milan

Who is the “Reverend Master Alexis of Piemont” whose secrets became so popular in the 16^th and 17^th centuries?

I am currently researching a 1615 English edition of The Secrets of Alexis (original Italian: De’ Secreti del Reverendo Donno Alessio Piemontese published 1555). It is a book of remedies and recipies for everything from dyes to face cleansers to medicines. For more on the book itself please see the post before: The Secrets of Alexis.

Author:

Now, finding the author of a book should be fairly simple, especially in a book where the author’s name is in the title, right? Sadly, no. Most catalouges (including my school’s) accredit Girolamo Ruscelli. This is based on a similar alchemy book he wrote, published a year after his death in 1567 called Secreti Nuovi (New Secrets). It claims to be The Secrets of Alexis’ sequel, calling Alessio Piemontese Ruscelli’s psuedonym (Bela 58). Francesco Sansovino, a friend of Ruscelli’s and who published New Secrets on his behalf, attests to Ruscelli’s authorship in his preface to New Secrets (Eamon & Phaheau 329). Battaglie (published 1582) by Hieronimo Mutio also calls Piemontese Ruscelli’s pseudonym in a passing comment (Bela 58-59).

Excerpt from Battaglie (Muzio, 63) English: “Perhaps he made this metamorphosis through the power of his alchemy, whence was born the book published under the name of Don Alexis of Piedmont” (Bela, 59)

“Portrait” of Ruscelli from Theatrum Virorum Eruditione Clarorum by Paul Freher (1688, p. 1464) (Bela)

Ruscelli (1500-1566) was a humanist cartographer, writer, and “polymath” (“Map”). His works, especially the maps, were impressive, especially so for the time, including commentaries, annotations, and translations as well as collections of maps, though none garnered near the attention The Secrets of Alexis had (Eamon & Phaheau 329). His most notable contribution to cartography was the use of copper plates in place of wood, allowing for more detailed maps (“Map”). In the 1540s, living in Naples, Ruscelli was a member of the Accademia Segreta (Eamon & Phaheau 330). This society studied alchemy, testing and experimenting with the remedies that comprise The Secrets (333).

Zbigniew Bela, however, wrote a passionate piece arguing that The Secrets was actually written by a man named Alessio Piemontese (Bela 63). Alas, Piemontese is an even more obscure figure than Ruscelli, making any real argument for his authorship immensely difficult. Piemontese (est. 147o-1550) was a medic and alchemist, and in 1557, published a book of secrets in Italian (Ibid.). On page 22 verso of The Secrets, a recipe says that the water was given to him (the author) by Girolamo Ruscelli in Bologna in 1543. This suggests that Ruscelli is either sneakily inserting his name into the book by pretending to meet himself, or in fact, Piemontese was the author and Ruscelli assisted in some way or inspired some of the recipes (Bela 60).

Same anecdote about Ruscelli in the 1558 Italian edition

In the “To the Reader,” Alessio¹ talks about his knowledge of many languages and his “singular pleasure in philosophy, and in the secrets of Nature,” adding that he travelled the world for “seven and twenty years.” He gathered his “secrets” from other learned men, noble men, “poor women, artifacers, pesants, and all sorts of men.” When Alessio was “fourscore and two year and seven months” he met a sick man, suffering from an inability to urinate. Out of his “vain glory” and fears that the physician might use his “secrets” for selfish purposes, Alessio refused share the “secrets,” and the physician, fearing others knowing he sought outside help, refused to allow Alessio to administer the medicine himself. When the man passed, Alessio was overcome with guilt, saying that he “desired to die” because he was a “murderer” for withholding his “secrets.” To help alleviate some of this guilt, he was “determined to communicate” his recipes to the public, hence this book. He assures his readers of his trustworthiness by way of his age, this story, and the promise that the recipes are “true and experimented.”

Translators:

I couldn’t find much on Richard Androse, one of The Secrets’ translators, but I had more luck with the other, William Ward [Warde]. Ward (1534-1609) was a physician and translator and studied at Eton College and King’s College, Cambridge (Bayne & Wallis). He served as physician for both Queen Elizabeth I and King James I (Ibid.). He also translated several works from French to English, including The Secrets (Ibid.). It is likely from his expertise as a physician that he added recipes to the English edition as he translated it (Martins).

The Secrets of Alexis was printed in almost every western European language and in more than ninety editions by the end of the seventeenth century (Eamon & Phaheau 330). I found a number of digitized versions of the book (listed below).

1562 Edit.’s end of Epistle

The “To the Reader” appears to be in all the editions, including the Italian. The Epistle and dedication seem unique to English editions, likely written by Ward as the 1562 edition’s ends “Your humble servant, William Warde,” though the others are nameless. Some of these editions, for example the 1595 and 1615 editions, were the same material just varying aesthetically, though others have sections numbered differently, more or fewer sections, etc. The 1580 English and 1558 Italian both have a table of contents at the end, the 1562 English and 1559 Italian have a table of contents in the middle of the work. Most of the English editions (1562, 1580, 1595, 1615, and so on) were labeled “newly corrected and amended…” editions, used the same translations, and featured the same or very similar marginal notes. It’s hard to say just how much Ward added to the English, though, without knowing more than rudimentary Italian or having a first edition.

Printer:

William Stansby (1572 – 1638) printed this edition in London at Cross Keys printing house. He apprenticed there under John Windet from 1589 to 1597 and then continued working with him, becoming co-partner in 1609, just before Windet’s death in 1610 (Bland). Windet focused on long print runs of small godly books, but after his passing, Stansby worked on smaller print runs of larger works and introduced more variety to the material than Windet had (Ibid.). During this period, he printed works by “John Donne, Sir Walter Ralegh, William Camden, John Selden, Michael Drayton, [and] Sir Francis Bacon,” (Ibid.) and, most famously, Ben Jonson’s first folio in 1616 (Wienberg). Stansby frequently printed banned or frowned-upon materials and was even arrested in the early 1620s for a pamphlet on Ferdinand II succeeding to the crown of Bohemia (Bland). Despite the change in focus, Stansby continued to use Windet’s printer’s device as seen on the section title pages of The Secrets (Windet). Around 1624, Stansby calmed down substantially, printing longer runs of psalms once more (Bland).

1595 Edit. page 121

1615 Edit. page 121

1562 Edit.’s equivalent of page 121

Works Cited

Bayne, Ronald, and Patrick Wallis. “Ward [Warde], William (1534–1609), physician and translator.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.January 03, 2008, Oxford University Press. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-28709. Accessed 16 October 2024.

Bela, Zbigniew. “The Authorship of The Secrets of Alexis of Piemont” Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki, vol. 61, no. 1, 2016, pp. 52-73. ResearchGate, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11726225/Who_really_is_an_author_of_Alexis_of_Piemont’s_secrets.

Bland, Mark. “Stansby, William (bap. 1572, d. 1638), printer and bookseller.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.  September 23, 2004. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-64163. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024

Eamon, William and Françoise Paheau. “The Accademia Segreta of Girolamo Ruscelli: A Sixteenth-Century Italian Scientific Society.” Isis, vol. 75, no. 2, 1984, pp. 327–42. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/231830. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024.

“Map Maker Biography: Girolamo Ruscelli (1500 – 1566).” New World Cartographic, 6 Dec. 2021, https://nwcartographic.com/blogs/essays-articles/map-maker-biography-girolamo-ruscelli-1500-1566. Accessed 16 Oct. 2024

Martins, Julia. “The Secrets.” Cems KCL Blog, 14 July 2023. https://kingsearlymodern.co.uk/ key-texts/the-secrets. Accessed 21 November 2024

Muzio, Girolamo [Hieronimo Mutio]. Battaglie. Pietro Dusinelli, 1582, pp. 63, Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NQTWowCoq0sC/page/n153/mode /2up?view=theater.

Ruscelli, Girolamo. The Secrets of Alexis [Pseud.]: Containing Many Excellent Remedies against Divers Diseases, Wounds, and Other Accidents. With the Manner to Make Distillations, Parfumes … and Meltings … Newly corrected and Amended, and also Somewhat more enlarged in certaine places, Which wanted in the former editions., Printed by W. Stansby for R. Meighen, 1615. ²

Wienberg, Abbie and Elizabeth DeBold. “The Other First Folio.” Folger Shakespeare Library, July 2019, https://www.folger.edu/blogs/collation/the-other-first-folio/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024

Windet, Micheal. “Adventures in Family Research.” The Stationers’ Company, 16 March 2021, https://www.stationers.org/news/archive-news/adventures-in-family-research. Accessed 12 October 2024

Work Consulted

“Archaeologica Medica: XXXII.-“The Secrets of Alexis.”.” British Medical Journal, vol. 2, 10 July 1897, 90-1.

De La Cruz-Cabanillas, Isabel. “The Secrets of Alexis in Glasgow University Library MS Ferguson 7.” SEDERI: Yearbook of the Spanish and Portuguese Society for English Renaissance Studies, vol. 30, Jan. 2020, pp. 29–46. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.34136/sederi.2020.2.

Digitized Volumes and Collections:

Library of Congress Collection: https://lccn.loc.gov/49043523

Internet Archive: 1559 Italian Edition https://archive.org/details/BIUSante_pharma_res018694/mode/2up

Google Books: 1558 Italian Edition https://www.google.com/books/edition/De_Secreti_del_reverendo_donno_Alessio_P/wL6o6xxP7TEC?hl=en&gbpv=0

Early English Books via ProQuest:

1595 Edition https://www.proquest.com/docview/2240876695?accountid=10506&sourcetype=Books&imgSeq=1

1580 Edition

https://www.proquest.com/docview/2240906757?pq-origsite=primo&sourcetype=Books&imgSeq=1 

Footnotes:

1. I am using the name “Alessio” to refer to the author, not to make any statements as to who the author really is, just to use the name the “To the Reader” is signed, specifically the Italian form of the name because the “To the Reader” was the only of the front matter to exist in the original Italian, meaning these were the original author’s words, not a translator or English editor’s addition.
2. This is the citation for the edition of The Secrets I worked with based on the Dickinson College Library Catalogue, which, like many catalogues, accredits the book to Ruscelli.

The Frugal Housewife is a cookbook deeply rooted in history and activism, thanks to its author’s vocations. In addition to being a successful writer, Lydia Maria Child was a dedicated activist and abolitionist. Her published work An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans was a first-of-its-kind essay that significantly impacted the perception of slavery in the United States at the time. Her other works include Hobomok: A Tale of Earlier Times, The Rebels, The Juvenile Miscellany, The Mother’s Book, and more. She mainly wrote children’s books and domestic manuals until her interest shifted to more political pursuits. After her work on An Appeal, she spent the rest of her life working towards abolishing slavery and raising awareness for the many inequalities in America. Although she was once revered in the Boston literary world, her stance on abolition left her ostracized – but that did not stop her from advocating for equality (The Poetry Foundation).  

While much of her work was based on abolitionist ideals, Child was also an advocate for feminist causes and women’s rights. In addition to writing the first comprehensive history of American Slavery, she also wrote the first comprehensive history of women. The Frugal Housewife is one of her works that based in feminist ideals. The Poetry Foundation states, “Directed at “middling” and lower-class women who could not afford servants, it was an early attempt to raise domesticity to a level of competence equal to that of other skilled trades (The Poetry Foundation).” Child’s works are mostly based in equality and advocacy, and The Frugal Housewife is not an outlier.  

Throughout her life, Child worked as both a writer and an editor.Since her career was strongly prevalent in the literary world, and the lack of information on the existence of a literary agent, I assume that Child did not have an agent. The front cover of the cookbook states, “Corrected and Arranged by the Author.” Child not only wrote her works, but she also edited and organized them herself.  

The first cookbook to take off in America was American Cookery, or, The Art of Dressing Viands, Fish, Poultry, and Vegetables, and the Best Modes of Making Puff-Pastes, Pies, Tarts, Puddings, Custards and Preserves, and All Kinds of Cakes, from the Imperial Plumb to Plain Cake by Amelia Simmons in 1796 (Virginia Tech University). Other cookbooks began to hit the shelves in the next two to three decades, including The Female Economist, or, A Plain System of Cookery: For the Use of Families: Containing Nearly Eight Hundred Valuable Receipts byMrs. Smith (Virginia Tech University) in 1810 (World Cat), The Experienced American Housekeeper: or, Domestic Cookery, Formed on Principles of Economy for the Use of Private Families by Eliza Rundell (Virginia Tech University) in 1823 (World Cat), Five Thousand Receipts in All the Useful and Domestic Arts, Constituting a Complete and Universal Practical Library, and Operative Cyclopaedia by Colin Mackenzie (Virginia Tech University) in 1829 (World Cat). It is evident based on the titles of these cookbooks, and Child’s own work, that most cookbooks published in the early nineteenth century were focused largely on economy and domesticity.  

Even with these other cookbooks published during that time, Child’s work stood out because of its ease of use, emphasis on remedies in addition to recipes, and frugality. The Frugal Housewife was a popular manual and had over 35 editions (Simon and Schuster). The cookbook’s popularity could be due to several reasons: not only was it the “first American cookbook to focus on economy in the kitchen and home (Andrews Mcmeel Publishing),” but it’s emphasis on self-reliance and frugality made it truly stand out (Andrews Mcmeel Publishing).  

This edition is the fourth edition, and the main reason for this edition’s printing is stated on the third page of the book: “The Author, having received a great many letters requesting the publication of “Hints to People of Moderate Fortune,” has deemed it proper to annex them to this little work; as both were written from the same motive, viz: an honest and independent wish to be useful.” There was such high demand for the additional chapter that Child acquiesced to the request by creating this fourth edition.

On the same page as this previous note from the author, there is also a note from a JNO. W. Davis, Clerk of District of Massachusetts, that states additional reasons for the printing of this book. It states that the book is in accordance with the act(s) stating an emphasis on learning and the importance of historical prints.

The book was originally printed in Boston, Massachusetts by publishers Carter, Hendee, and Babcock. There is not much known about these publishers, but from what I could find, they printed mainly children’s books and educational texts. On the back cover of this edition of The Frugal Housewife, there is a list of other books produced by these publishers, including The Children’s Week, The Young Emigrants, Scientific Tracts, and A Natural History of Insects. Carter and Hendee published over 150 volumes at their Corner Store, and they hired Babcock for only a year (the year this book was published – 1830-1831) (Boston University). Despite the success of The Frugal Housewife, Carter and Hendee were unable to stay in business and sold their publishing company the following year (1832) (Boston University). 

Information on the printer of this book is vague but based on another book published by Carter and Hendee, a printer by the name of Brattleboro Power Press Office could have been used. If not, it is possible that Carter and Hendee printed the books themselves, but this is speculative (Washington University). The paper itself has held up well structurally, although it is consistently stained on all pages. Based on the history of paper-making and the condition of the paper, I assume that it is made of rag-based materials, not wood-based. Wood-based paper was not invented until the 1840’s and was not widely used in America until over twenty years after that.  

The origins of The Frugal Housewife are deeply rooted in frugality, activism, and questioning the norms of the nineteenth-century. Child’s experience as both a successful writer and activist were crucial to the success of the cookbook. Knowing the impact activism had on the writing of the cookbook, and how its emphasis on frugality led to its fame, helps acknowledge the importance of the origins of The Frugal Housewife by Lydia Maria Child. 

Works Cited:

“Five Thousand Receipts in All the Useful and Domestic Arts : Constituting a Complete and Universal Practical Library, and Operative Cyclopaedia | WorldCat.org.” Worldcat.org, 2024, search.worldcat.org/title/Five-thousand-receipts-in-all-the-useful-and-domestic-arts-:-constituting-a-complete-and-universal-practical-library-and-operative-cyclopaedia/oclc/6478641. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024. 

History of Papermaking around the World, paper.gatech.edu/sites/default/files/2021-04/History of Papermaking Around the World.pdf. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.  

“Looking Glass for the Mind: 350 Years of Books for Children.” Looking Glass for the Mind: 350 Years of Books for Children (an Online Exhibit), content.lib.washington.edu/exhibits/looking-glass/peter.html. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.  

“Lydia Maria Child.” NATIONAL ABOLITION HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM, www.nationalabolitionhalloffameandmuseum.org/lydia-maria-child.html. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.  

“Lydia Maria Child.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/lydia-maria-child. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.  

Newsome, Florence Wilson. “The Publishing and Literary Activities of the Predecessors of Ticknor and Fields, 1829-1849.” Boston University Libraries OpenBU, Boston University, 1 Jan. 1970, open.bu.edu/handle/2144/7541. 

“Research Guides: Food & Drink History Resources @Virginia Tech (and Beyond): Early American Cooking/Cookery (1796-1850).” Vt.edu, 2021, guides.lib.vt.edu/c.php?g=10336&p=5063149. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024. 

“The Experienced American Housekeeper, Or, Domestic Cookery, Formed on Principles of Economy for the Use of Private Families | WorldCat.org.” Worldcat.org, 2024, search.worldcat.org/title/15368470. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024. 

“The Female Economist, Or, a Plain System of Cookery : For the Use of Families : Containing Nearly Eight Hundred Valuable Receipts | WorldCat.org.” Worldcat.org, 2024, search.worldcat.org/title/77805720?oclcNum=77805720. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024. 

“The Frugal Housewife.” Andrews McMeel Publishing, 12 Oct. 2024, publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/the-frugal-housewife/#:~:text=The%20charming%20collection%20of%20recipes,is%20relevant%20in%20modern%20times.  

“The Frugal Housewife.” Book by Lydia Maria Child | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster, www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Frugal-Housewife/Lydia-Maria-Child/9781449431709. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.