Customer Reviews

American Cookbook: A History

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Carol Fisher has thoroughly researched the history of cookbooks as they evolved in America, beginning with the colonists.

This book shows how cookbooks expanded throughout the years to meet the needs of a changing society. Many photographs of these historical cookbooks are included. Chapters are devoted to charity/community cookbooks, regional and ethnic cookbooks, health and nutrition cookbooks, promotional advertising cookbooks, USDA cookbooks, cookbooks for special audiences, chef and restaurant cookbooks, and alternative format cookbooks.

Although it is not a recipe book, the unique appendix provides a sampling of complete apple pie recipes and tracks this favorite dessert from 1796 to present day; miscellaneous cooking tips and an occasional recipe will show up in some of the excerpts and descriptions.

This informative, well researched, comprehensive, historical book is packed full of facts, examples and explanations that make it interesting to read.

This book is both interesting and entertaining. Until reading American Cookbook, A History, one does realize the impact that cookbooks have had on American culture. This must read is enjoyable and also has some tasty recipies along the way!

This is an excellent reference and guide to historical American cookbooks. It describes the most important American cookbooks starting with colonial publications of English cookbooks and the first uniquely American cookbook by Amelia Simmons The First American Cookbook: A Facsimile of "American Cookery," 1796. It continues through early ethnic and charity cookbooks published in the mid 20th century. Overall this book is a well written and easy to read guide to the most important historical American cookbooks. Promotional blurbs for historical cookbooks commonly claim that a book is "the first" in some category with multiple claims to the same first. This book will help you to identify the real firsts and most influential cookbooks and trends that those cookbooks represent. For example which cookbook was really the first cookbook written (and published) by a black man and the first by a black woman.

An additional key piece of information in this book is the existence of the "Feeding America" digital library of historic American cookbooks maintained by Michigan State University. Historical cookbooks are of course public domain works. The Feeding America project is a wonderful resource with introductory descriptions, digital transcripts and page images of numerous historic cookbooks that you can view online.

College-level collections will welcome A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN COOKBOOK: it provides a basic introduction to the cookbook's evolution from colonial to modern times, blending geography, culture, and a survey of political and social changes in its goal of producing a definitive guide. From booklets and recipe notes to full books and reference collections, A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN COOKBOOK's chapters trace cultural as well as social influences. A 'must' for any college-level collection: while it's a lively read it packs in social history and facts throughout.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

The book was in excellent condition and it arrived promptly.