Antique Cookbook - Soup Oysters and Surprises order by Flora Bigelow Guest 1918 WWI Era Cookery Book

Soup, Oysters and Surprises, by The Hon. Mrs. Lionel Guest (Flora Bigelow Guest). London: order John Lane, 1918.

Softcovers in original printed wrappers, 7 ¼ x 5 inches, 64 pages. Heavy stock covers toned and worn at extremities, Small erasure injury on front cover, half inch loss at tail of spine and one inch split at tail of front hinge, pages brittle and toned with occasional chipping at tips, binding intact and sound.

One of two World War I era cookbooks penned by Flora Bigelow Guest. She was a prominent New York Socialite born in the middle of the nineteenth century, who moved to England with her second husband. In the cookbook, she makes several references to America, like: “Terrapin or turtles are highly prized in America as a table delicacy.”

The book is broken into sections as indicated by the title. In the opening section on soup, much attention is given to economy and making the most of ingredients at hand, beginning with the importance of keeping a stock pot on the stove, which should receive most of the leftovers and liquids left after cooking vegetables. Many recipes are identified as “inexpensive” or “cheap” next to their titles and there are several based on very ordinary ingredients like bone soup, rice soup, and of course squirrel soup. The section on oysters and those that follow seem a little less about thrift, but are still considering their subjects as inexpensive alternatives to fish and mussels are offered as an alternative to the harder to find oyster. The “other surprises” include sections on terrapin, frogs and eels. The terrapin section opens with a graphic description of how to cook a live turtle, and the frog section has an abundant discussion about the popularity and abundance of frogs in America. Interesting and rare little gem of a cookbook.

Inquiries always welcome. Thanks for looking!