Mrs. Beeton's Cookery Book and Household Guide

She was the 19th century's Martha Stewart, and she is responsible for organizing the rules of domestic life into the first easy-to-follow guide. British writer ISABELLA MARY BEETON (1836-1865) caused a sensation in 1861 when she published her guide to proper Victorian housekeeping, known under various unofficial titles, including Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management.

Eminently browsable and still highly useful today, Beeton's tome is a masterly compendium of practical information, and covers such essential topics as:

. recipes of cooking all manner of meat, fish, vegetable, pudding, and pastry
. hints on the proper arrangement of a functional kitchen
. ideas for table decorations (including the correct way to fold napkins)
. tips for carving poultry
. charts on the seasons and prices (in the 1800s, of course) of all manner of edibles
. and much more.

This charming replica of the "new and greatly enlarged" 1890 edition features all of the original diagrams, illustrations, menus, lists, and other particulars and minutiae that made this work so beloved in its day, and continues to ensure its popularity today.