Old Book Shoppe


		Robin Hardy Online


	Robin here confesses a serious weakness for old books. She possesses a modest and not valuable collection, not all of which she has read, but all which she loves just because they are old. So we thought we'd get some tax-deductible use from her library by opening it up to you from time to time.


	The American Woman's Cookbook edited by Ruth Berolzheimer (Consolidated Book Publishers, Chicago, 1946)

My mother received this cookbook as a wedding gift when she married my father in 1946. It is a treasure, loaded with full-color photos produced via "modern photoengraving." I have used it not only for the recipes, but to learn everything from place settings to basic cooking terms, and some of its descriptions wound up in the Lystra books.

Want to know how to clarify fat? See page 23. How to pasteurize milk? That's on page 32. How to dress small game? Pages 298-299. ("Avoid wild rabbits. Buy ONLY domestic rabbits.") Plus you'll find instructions on canning and preserving (starting on p. 658), a vintage chart (1922 Burgundy Red and White are poor, while 1928 Champagne is great, p. 738) and how to prepare anything that is edible to begin with (such as "Breaded Calves' Brains" on p. 343).


	What is impressive about this book is its emphasis on food knowledge and nutrition. It was compiled with the assumption that the mother's duty is to know what foods are most beneficial to her family and feed them accordingly. Lo and behold, the book hammers on the importance of a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, fresh ingredients, and—get this—an attractive presentation:

Have you EVER seen meatloaf so embellished?

I would kill to make petits-fours like these.

You'll find the Lystrans eating squabs.

updated May 19, 2007

Old Book Shoppe Archives:

John Dryden

Thoughts for the Businessman, 1912

The Werewolf

The Chinese Bell Murders

Harold: The Last of the Saxon Kings

The President's Daughter

Songbooks

Favorite Poems

Sermons in the Making

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I don't even like asparagus, and this still looks good.

Turkish coffee, anyone? I want this set.

And the beautiful young mother uses the latest kitchen technology to prepare healthy, delicious meals for her family. A nostalgic fantasy? Maybe. But that's exactly how I remember it:

My mother, circa 1959, taking a break after helping prepare one of our extended-family holiday feasts. (They dressed up for special occasions in those days, even the cooks.) Note the Baptist Hymnal on the piano.