Brown leather binding with raised banding on the spine.

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A very scarce 18th century edition in its original binding. Signed by Author.

This is a prized edition in the original and somewhat battered binding of the sixth edition of the authorized Hannah Glasse’s important and monumental cookery book, an influential publication. In cooking terms the sixth edition is generally regarded as Hannah Glasse’s most groundbreaking. Note: There was an issue at the time of unauthorised copies being published, and most of the authorised copies carry Glasse’s signature as it was following her bankruptcy.

This edition is important as it was the first that mentioned ‘Hamburgh sausages’ and piccalilli.ESTC citation number T103509.

‘The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy’ is a prominent cookery book that became a bestseller for a century after its publication in 1747. It dominated the English speaking market, and gave the author, Hannah Glasse, much fame.The popularity of the work was international, with the likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin even owning copies, with its popularity surviving the American War of Independence.The work includes one of the first recipe in English for an Indian style curry, and was also the first book to mention a recipe for trifle using jelly as an ingredient, as well as being the first to use the term ‘Yorkshire pudding’ in print. Glasse also makes use of many imported ingredients, such as cocoa, cinamon, pistachios, and nutmeg.Glasse’s approach is sometimes confusing, not giving a list of ingredients preceding the recipe, and also often not giving ingredient quantities, or any indicant of cooking time of oven temperature. She also has an anti-French approach, disapproving of the French influence on British food, though she still gave ingredients with French names and influence.About one third of the recipes in this work were copied from other cookery books.

Hannah Glasse was best known for this work, which was originally published anonymously under the tag ‘by a lady’. She also published ‘The Servants’ Directory’, and ‘The Compleat Confectioner’, though neither works were as successful as ‘The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy’.

The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy is a cookbook by Hannah Glasse (1708–1770), first published in 1747. It was a bestseller for a century after its first publication, dominating the English-speaking market and making Glasse one of the most famous cookbook authors of her time. The book ran through at least 40 editions, many of which were copied without explicit author consent. It was published in Dublin from 1748, and in America from 1805.

Glasse said in her note “To the Reader” that she used plain language so that servants would be able to understand it.

The 1751 edition was the first book to mention trifle with jelly as an ingredient; the 1758 edition gave the first mention of “Hamburgh sausages”, piccalilli, and one of the first recipes in English for an Indian-style curry. Glasse criticised the French influence of British cuisine, but included dishes with French names and French influence in the book. Other recipes use imported ingredients including cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, pistachios and musk.

The book was popular in the Thirteen Colonies of America, and its appeal survived the American War of Independence, with copies being owned by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.

The Art of Cookery was the dominant reference for home cooks in much of the English-speaking world in the second half of the 18th century and the early 19th century, and it is still used as a reference for food research and historical reconstruction. The book was updated significantly both during her life and after her death.

Early editions were not illustrated. Some posthumous editions include a decorative frontispiece, with the caption

The FAIR, who’s Wise and oft consults our BOOK,
And thence directions gives her Prudent Cook,
With CHOICEST VIANDS, has her Table Crown’d,
And Health, with Frugal Ellegance is found.

Some of the recipes were plagiarized, to the extent of being reproduced verbatim from earlier books by other writers. To guard against plagiarism, the title page of, for example, the sixth edition (1758) carries at its foot the warning “This BOOK is published with his MAJESTY’s Royal Licence; and whoever prints it, or any Part of it, will be prosecuted”. In addition, the first page of the main text is usually signed in ink by the author.

The first edition of the book was published by Glasse herself, funded by subscription, and sold (to non-subscribers) at Mrs. Ashburn’s China Shop.