For those who wish to know more, here is the Miss Adventures library of vintage cookbooks, as well as how to source them for yourself (for free whenever possible).
The American Woman’s Cook Book
(1939)
An impressively comprehensive cookbook and instruction manual from the Culinary Arts Institute. It lacks the conversational tone of The Joy of Cooking, and some of the dishes are odd, but it has gorgeous photo illistrations, serving suggestions for many recipes, and detailed instructions on things like how to paoch an egg. Also an entire section entittled “Soup Accessories”, and really how can one fail to be intreged by “soup accessories”.
Available for free download as a PDF from VintageCookbooks.com
Berolzheimer, Ruth. The American Woman’s Cook Book. Consolidated Book Publishers, Inc., 1939.
1001 Sandwiches
(1936)
An expansion of a 1929 sandwich book (700 Sandwiches), this book includes instructions for how one might use pre-sliced bread for sandwich recipes and a note that one might use purchased mayonnaise in place of dressing. Full of unusual sandwiches and ill-conceived portmanteaus. If not precisely a good cookbook, certainly an amusing one.
Available for free on Archive.org
Cowles, Florence A. 1001 Sandwiches. Little, Brown, 1936.
How To Cook A Wolf
(1944)
A cookbook for when the metaphorical wolf is at the door. Humorous and poignant, full of anecdotes and wry advice, this is a WWII cookbook for facing privation with grace and gusto. It is nonetheless surprisingly epicurean, with recipes from multiple cultures and a focus on simple, quality ingredients and lots of vegetables.
Available for free on Archive.org
Fisher, M. F. K. How To Cook A Wolf. The World Publishing Company, 1944.
Suffrage Cook Book
(1915)
Published to fight propaganda that suffragettes were unwomanly, to raise money for woman’s suffrage, and to function as propaganda for women’s rights, this cookbook includes recipes and endorsements submitted by a variety of women, and a few male celebrities (like Jack London) sympathetic to the Great Cause. The cover depicts Uncle Sam balancing the rights of men and women while steering the ship of state. The ship’s wheel has a spoke for each state that allows women to vote (and a partial spoke for Illinois, where women could vote in school board elections). Recipes may be questionable, but it is a fascinating piece of history.
Available as a free eBook from Project Gutenburg
Kleber, L. O. Suffrage Cook Book. The Equal Franchise Federation Of Western Pennsylvania, 1915.
The Joy of Cooking
1953
The 4th edition of perhaps the most famous American cookbook, this mother-daughter collaboration reflects Becker’s desire for a comprehensive reference book and healthful recipes, as well as Rombauer’s distinctive casual voice. Most of the original 1930s recipes are still here, but with clearer instructions and a better index. This edition does away with the section on canned food included in the 3rd (WWII) edition. Later editions also shift away from reusing leftovers as a matter of course, as food in America became more plentiful. There is also a hilarious, no-nonsense (yet oddly dainty) illustration of how to skin a squirrel.
Available for purchase from Thriftbooks
Rombauer, Irma S., and Marion Rombauer Becker. The Joy Of Cooking. 4th ed., The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., 1953.
The Joy of Cooking: A Facsimile of the First Edition
(1931)
Read the original self-published Joy of Cooking, at a fraction of the actual 1st edition’s cost. Useful as a reference, this book has measurement conversions, standard can sizes, how to use up leftovers, and more. Half the size of the more familiar, commercially-published version, this book is nonetheless full of surprisingly tasty recipes, useful techniques, and the author’s distinctive voice and humor. Also, a rather amazing dragon on the front cover
Available for free from Archive.org, and for purchase from Bookshop.org
Rombauer, Irma S. The Joy Of Cooking: A Facsimile Of The First Edition. Scribner, 1998.
Steve Rogers’ New York
(1920s, 1930s, and 1940s)
A Tumblr blog on the history and culture of New York during the fictional life of the character Steve Rogers, alias Captain America. Fantastic as a writing resource or engrossing for a general interest in the more everyday life parts of history. Their Recipe Wednesday posts feature recipes from the digitized archives of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle
“Recipe Wednesday.”. https://steve-rogers-new-york.tumblr.com/tagged/Recipe%20Wednesday. Accessed 25 Aug 2022
The Modern Books
The following are more recently published books about cooking, the Great Depression, or the history of American food, which have been useful in researching vintage recipes and the cultural context around them. Provided are links for purchase, though you may be able to find them at your local library.
Clara’s Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression
At the urging of her grandson, 96-year-old Clara Cannucciari recorded YouTube videos of recipes and stories from growing up the child of Italian immigrants during the Depression. Her recipes are especially interesting in that they show a different sort of food from cookbooks aimed at the white middle class. Her book is part cookbook part memoir and is available through her website.
Cannucciari, Clara, and Christopher Cannucciari. Clara’s Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression. St. Martin’s Press, 2009.
The Harvey House Cookbook
Part cookbook, part history book, this is a fascinating look into the history of the first chain restaurants, and how they changed rail travel and the American West. None of the recipes have noted dates, though the 1910s recipes have a markedly different tone than those from the 1940s or 50s. Absolutely fascinating to read; mediocre as a cookbook.
Available from Bookshop.org or used from Thriftbooks
Foster, George H, and Peter C Weiglin. The Harvey House Cookbook. Longstreet Press, 1992
The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites
A fascinating look at American history, pre-Columbian to present, through the lens of food.
Available from Bookshop.org or used from Thriftbooks
O’Connell, Libby Haight. The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites. Sourcebooks, Inc., 2015.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
A phenomenal cookbook for those interested in understanding the hows and whys of cooking, such as how salted vs unsalted cooking water changes the vitamin content of boiled vegetables. Also contains the least intimidating and most foolproof instructions for making your own mayonnaise ever illustrated.
Available from Bookshop.org
Nosrat, Samin. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Simon & Schuster, 2017.
Modern Food, Moral Food: Self-Control, Science, and the Rise of Modern American Eating in the Early Twentieth Century
“In Modern Food, Moral Food, Helen Zoe Veit argues that the twentieth-century food revolution was fueled by a powerful conviction that Americans had a moral obligation to use self-discipline and reason, rather than taste and tradition, in choosing what to eat”.
Available from Bookshop.org
Veit, Helen Zoe. Modern Food, Moral Food: Self-Control, Science, and the Rise of Modern American Eating in the Early Twentieth Century. University of North Carolina Press, 2013.
A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression
This book has been an invaluable reference for understanding the culture and context of Depression-era recipes and food. Read about the moral panic around sandwiches, the advent of the school lunch program, and the belief that spices could be a gateway drug to opium.
Available from Bookshop.org or used from Thriftbooks
Ziegelman, Jane, and Andrew Coe. A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression. Harper, 2017.