The New Art of Cookery

The New Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy stands as a monumental landmark in gastronomic literature, written by Hannah Glasse (1708–1770) and first published anonymously "By a Lady" in London in 1747. Glasse wrote the book out of pure financial desperation, but her text single-handedly revolutionized the genre by completely rejecting the overly complicated, wasteful, and expensive French style that dominated high society. Written in a sharp, direct, and accessible tone, her recipes prioritized economy, clarity, and British household realities, instructing readers on foundational skills ranging from roasting meats to creating the very first recorded English-language recipe for curry. The book became an instant, massive commercial triumph, dominating the transatlantic market for over a century and crossing the ocean to become a staple in early American kitchens, including those of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Today, early printings of Glasse's work represent the definitive birth of modern, accessible home cooking

The printing of cookbooks evolved from an elite, secretive tradition into a fundamental engine of domestic literacy and social mobility. In the decades following Gutenberg’s invention of movable type, the earliest printed culinary texts—such as Platina’s De honesta voluptate et valetudine (1475)—were written in Latin by male scholars, focusing on dietary health and courtly banquets for the aristocracy. By the 17th and 18th centuries, a massive shift occurred as printing became cheaper and publishers recognized a booming market among the emerging middle class. Cookbooks transformed from high-status status symbols into highly practical, vernacular guides written explicitly for housewives and domestic servants. This era marked a crucial historical moment where women stepped into the public sphere as authors and publishers, standardizing measurements, preserving regional culinary heritage, and turning the cookbook into the most heavily utilized, mass-produced tool in the early modern household.

Original leather covered boards with modern restored spine. Yes leather label to spine with gilt lettering. Points rounded and bumped. A few woodcut designs throughout. Very good condition.