CARTER (SUSANNAH)

The Frugal Housewife, or Complete Woman Cook, F. Newbery, [c.1775-1780]

Footnotes

UNRECORDED EARLY EDITION OF THIS POPULAR AND INFLUENTIAL COOKBOOK, THE AUTHOR'S ONLY PUBLICATION.

Little is known of Susannah Carter, other than the fact that she hailed from Clerkenwell as mentioned on the title-page. The work was first published in 1765 by Francis Newbery in London, and some two or three years later by James Hoey in Dublin (Maclean located 3 copies of the 1765 edition in America, but none are now listed on ESTC or in auction records). In 1772 the book was reprinted in London and Boston, the American edition being only the second cookbook printed in America, following Eliza Smith's Compleat Housewife (Williamsburg, 1742). Carter went on to become extremely well-known across the Atlantic as subsequent editions were expanded and adapted to include American recipes.

The date of the present copy is uncertain. The fact that the imprint is that of 'F. Newbery' indicates that it was printed before Francis Newbery's death in 1780, whereupon his widow Elizabeth carried on the business under the imprint 'E. Newbery'. However, the editions prior to and including a Dublin edition of around 1775 comprise 168 or 180 pages, whereas ours, and later editions, were expanded to 192 pages. All of this would tend to suggest that our copy is dated between 1775 and 1780. As no collation has been found, it is not clear if there should be only one plate in this copy but other editions generally have two.

Provenance: "Catherine Jones, her book 1785", inscription on front paste-down; manuscript recipes in a nineteenth century hand below inscription and on rear free endpaper; Cardiff Public Libraries, old ink stamps on paste-downs and on verso of title (with shelf number in ink).