The English Housewife: Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman; As Her Skill in Physic, Cookery, Banq [Paperback]

Gervase Markham (Author), Michael R. Best (Editor, Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1994

In 1615 Englishman Gervase Markham published a handbook for housewives containing "all the virtuous knowledges and actions both of the mind and body, which ought to be in any complete housewife." Markham reveals the "pretty and curious secrets" of preparing everything from simple foods to such elaborate meals as a "humble feast" - an undertaking which entails preparing "no less than two and thirty dishes, which is as much as can stand on one table." He instructs the housewife on brewing beer and caring for wine, growing flax and hemp for thread, and spinning and dyeing. As a housewife was also responsible for the health and "soundness of body" of her family, he includes advice on the prevention of everything from the plague to baldness and bad breath.No other source from this period provides the same richness of information in such a readable style. Michael Best's introduction and his abundant notes make "The English Housewife" readily accessible to the contemporary reader. Michael R. Best is Professor of English, University of Victoria.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[The English Housewife] comes as close to a reconstruction of early modern English home life as scholars are likely to attain .... A splendid addition to the knowledge of early-17th-century life and labor." G.M. Straka, Choice.

Product Details

• Paperback: 321 pages
• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773511032
• ISBN-13: 978-0773511033
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #741,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful resource for historians and reenactors, July 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The English Housewife: Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman; As Her Skill in Physic, Cookery, Banq (Paperback)

As an historical reenactor I find this book to be very useful. It has lots of interesting recipes and other useful information. The best part is that this was written in the period, so you get a much better perspective than a book of redactions.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Primary Source, March 17, 2001

By 

Law Princess "Law Princess" (So Cal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The English Housewife: Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman; As Her Skill in Physic, Cookery, Banq (Paperback)

The English Housewife is the primary text from which many other books on Elizabethan Women derive much of their information. First written in 1615, it gives "a moste excellent account of the duties and knowledge of the husewyfe". Of interest to womens and renaissance history buffs, as well as re-enactors.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful compendium for scholars and the curious!, October 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The English Housewife (Hardcover)

A truly splendid find, this well-edited edition of Gervase Markham's manual provides vivid insight into household management in the seventeenth century. Topics range from cookery and brewing to home remedies. Excellent introduction and notes. Enjoyable contemporary illustrations.