Beeton's Book of Household Management (Southover Press Historic Cookery & Housekeeping) (Hardcover)

by Isabelle Beeton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
First published in 1861. Facsimile of the very rare first impression of the first edition with its splendid colour plates. This was Isabella Beeton's collection of the recipes that appeared in her husband's The English Woman's Domestic Magazine which ran for the three years (1859-61). It was to become the best-known cookery book in the English language, and covers not only cookery but also the management and duties of servants, legal affairs, medical matters and more. All recipes were edited, rewritten and personally tested by Isabella Beeton.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1152 pages
• Publisher: Southover Press; Facsimile of 1861 ed edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187096215X
• ISBN-13: 978-1870962155
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.8 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #704,512 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its here since 1861!!!, May 25, 2007

By	Rodolfo Tarelli (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The original edition of this book was owned by my grandmother and when I saw it here at Amazon.com I could no resist the temptation of owning it. True to its name this book is no only a cookbook but a household management manual.
The book describes in minute detail the role each household member must play for everything to work as it should. Chapters include;
The mistress
The housekeeper
Arrangement and economy of the kitchen
Domestic servants
Rearing of children and diseases of infancy and childhood
The doctor
Legal memoranda

Of course, the brunt of the book (pages 117 to 905)is composed of recipes of every kind from making preserves to soups, game, puddings, sweet dishes, beverages, breads, cakes, biscuits.

This book is an excellent companion from beginners to experts. It really captures the way people cooked during the 1860s.

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic!, May 29, 2009

By	Lin "Lin22" (Puget Sound) - See all my reviews

This book is a reprint of the original "housekeeping" book written in the 1800's by the famous home economist Mrs. Beeton. I say "famous" because Mrs. Beeton is quoted often in various history books.

Personally, I see this book more as a history book, rather than as a regular modern cookbook or modern household management book, because this book was written over 100 years ago and therefore, all the information has to be digested with this in mind. It's a FUN read!

I bought this book because I had been reading many history books about the Victorian period, and so I wanted to learn more about how the housewives from 100 years ago managed their homes. (Keep in mind that Mrs. Beeton wrote this book for the middle-class and/or upper middle class housewife. This book was also written for the Victorian maid or staff cook).

This book is quoted in so many history books concerning the Victorian housewife. Therefore, it's so wonderful to read the actual book, written exactly as Mrs. Beeton chose to present it, with her information valid during the Victorian period in history.

This book has so much information, from the trivial to the important. For example, Mrs. Beeton expands immensely on how to set a Victorian dinner table---from what utensils to use in setting the table, to what foods to prepare according to various menus, and then from that point, she elaborates on what choice in conversation a "proper lady" from this period in history might wish to engage-in with her guests. Every minute detail is explained. (eg: Turtle soup for dinner tonight, or maybe a nice fresh mutton stew for this evening? Hum? ... Would a Pavlova be appropriate for after dinner, or maybe a strawberry Charlotte would be better?).

This book is basically Mrs. Beeton's textbook on housekeeping and cooking 101, 102 and 103! She left nothing out.

It has been said that most middle class housewives of the Victorian period had this book in their library.... and I can see why! I bet that just about every newlywed housewife of 100 years ago felt they just HAD to have this book in order to know what to do in order to manage her "staff" or (if no large staff were available), on how to manage her own home alone (even while wearing a fully corsetted waist dress and sensible shoes).

As a person reads this book, they are transported back to 100 years ago...to a time when the middle-class and upper-class housewife had to behave in such a manner as to impress society, but also, to impress her husband, by showing confidence in her everyday housekeeping,cooking, and managing of her staff (if she had a staff).

In 100 years, it's amazing how the lives of housewives and mothers have changed. This is why, I would classify this book more as a history book ... and specifically, a valuable history book for those of us interested in U.S. history of the 1800's-to-early 1900's!

PS: Please note that I did not pay $135.00 for this book. At the time of my purchase, this book sold for less than $30.00. However, this book is now hard-to-find and therefore the price may have gone up. Still, I would not pay more than $30.00 for this book. Rather, see if your local Library has this book, and check it out first. Then, if you love it as much as I did, you can purchase it for your own library, at the price you feel is appropriate for your own pocketbook.