Hannah Glasse – The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy – 1767 – G. Walton Copy

GLASSE, Hannah (1708–1770). The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy; Which Far Exceeds any Thing of the Kind yet Published. London: printed for A. Millar, R. Tonson, W. Strahan, T. Caslon, T. Durham, and W. Nicoll, 1767. A New Edition.

8vo. [2], vi, [24], 384, [24] pp. In early calf, the boards ruled in gilt and the spine divided by raised bands. With the printed facsimile signature "H. Glasse" at the head of the first page of text. Early ink ownership inscription "G: Walton" to the front free endpaper.

A complete copy of one of the most influential English cookery books of the eighteenth century.

First published anonymously in 1747, Hannah Glasse's Art of Cookery was written as a practical manual for the domestic cook rather than the professional chef. Its direct and accessible approach proved enormously successful, and the work remained in print through numerous editions during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

The title page still gives the author simply as "By a LADY", while Glasse's identity is asserted within the book by her conspicuous printed facsimile signature on the opening page of the text.

The work encompasses far more than the modern conception of a cookbook. Its chapters cover roasting and boiling, sauces, fish, soups, puddings, pies, pickling, cakes and confectionery, brewing and made wines, preserving and distilling, together with instructions for provisioning ships, preparing food for the sick and selecting produce at market.

Among the recipes are preparations for Yorkshire pudding, curry, pickles, sausages, ice cream, preserves, wines and numerous English and Continental dishes, providing a vivid picture of Georgian food, household management and changing eighteenth-century tastes.

The main text is followed by an extensive appendix containing 150 additional recipes, a substantial alphabetical index and terminal advertisements for books sold by A. Millar and T. Cadell.

ESTC: T103511.

Size

20.5 x 13cm

Condition

Good, complete copy in a substantially worn early binding. The calf binding is heavily rubbed and scuffed, with considerable surface wear, worn corners and extremities, and losses to the leather at the head and foot of the spine. The spine and joints show age-related cracking and wear, with evidence of old reinforcement to the front inner hinge.

Internally, the book is substantially better preserved than the binding suggests. The leaves are generally clean and sound, with occasional spotting, staining, handling marks and minor marginal wear consistent with an eighteenth-century book intended for practical household use.

Early ink ownership inscription "G: Walton" to the front free endpaper. Faint later pencil scribbles and markings to the flyleaf opposite the title page. The printed facsimile signature of Hannah Glasse is present on p.1. Appendix, complete index and terminal publisher's advertisements all present. Collated complete.

Bibliographical Note

First published in 1747, The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy became one of the most successful British cookery books of the eighteenth century. Glasse deliberately rejected the elaborate language of professional cookery manuals, explaining that she wished to write so plainly that even an inexperienced servant could understand her instructions. This 1767 edition retains the characteristic anonymous attribution "By a LADY" on the title page, while the opening page carries the printed facsimile "H. Glasse" signature introduced to distinguish authorised editions of her work. 

Provenance

Early ink ownership inscription "G: Walton" to the front free endpaper.

Reference

ESTC T103511