Published by Richard Bentley & Son: London 1871 Twenty Sixth Thousand
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This influential early nineteenth-century domestic manual, written under the pseudonym Mistress Margaret Dods, offers a comprehensive guide to household management and cookery at a time when domestic economy was regarded as both a moral and practical discipline. Drawing on Scottish culinary traditions while engaging with broader British and continental influences, the work combines everyday practicality with an emerging sense of refinement in domestic life. It addresses not only how food should be prepared, but how households should be run efficiently, reflecting contemporary ideals of order, thrift, and competence within the home.
The fourth edition of 1829, revised and enlarged, represents the work at a mature stage in its publishing history and attests to its popularity and usefulness. Expanded to include French cookery, fashionable confectionery, preparations for invalids, economical dishes, and a wide range of miscellaneous receipts, the volume bridges traditional fare and early nineteenth-century culinary fashion. Published by Oliver & Boyd of Edinburgh, with London distribution, it stands as a significant example of Scottish domestic literature, closely associated with the literary circle of Sir Walter Scott, with whom the character of Margaret Dods is famously linked.
Beyond its culinary content, the book serves as a valuable social document, offering insight into class, gender roles, health, and household expectations in Georgian Britain. Surviving copies from this period are increasingly scarce, particularly in original working bindings that reflect genuine domestic use rather than later display. This volume would appeal especially to collectors of early cookery books, historians of domestic life, and those interested in Scottish cultural and literary history."
General wear and fading to covers with some loss to top of outer spine as shown. Bindings are decent with some cluster separation but nothing loose. Frontis present. Pages clean and well presented. Some water damage to advertising pages at book of book. A nice antique cook book in good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
