A cake or cooky for every day of the year...

{HISTORY}

Celebrating the joy of sweet treats, this marvelous little baking book features 365 recipes, one for every day of the year, beginning on January 1st and ending on December 31st.  

What's on the menu for May 15th? German Rusk! That's a yeasted biscuit bread made of butter, cinnamon, and sugar prepared via an overnight batter. On June 30th, the menu calls for Raspberry Cakes. October 4th... Regina Cookies. December 1st... Maple Sugar Layer Cake. February 1st... Cocoa Sticks, March 8th... Mock Cheese Cake. And on and on and on the lovely sweet treats unfold day in and day out.

Published in August 1904 by George W. Jacobs & Co, a Philadephia, PA publishing company that operated between 1892-1925, the recipes in 365 Cakes and Cookies were compiled from a variety of sources, including Good Housekeeping magazine and the cookbooks of Mary J. Lincoln (1844-1921) and Marion Harland (1830-1922).  

Marion was a very well-respected Southern author of both fiction and non-fiction including many cookbooks and homekeeping books. Mary was a Boston-based cooking instructor, writer, and pioneer of the domestic sciences as it related to health, nutrition, sanitary conditions, and scientific study. 

This very rare gem of a book is not only a colorful part of culinary baking history in America but also an incredible inspirational sourcebook for the home or professional baker. Recipes run the gamut from familiar favorites like Old-fashioned Pound Cake, Turnovers, Eclairs, and Macaroons to delectable delights of yesteryear with cozy names like Granny's Cookies, Ribbon Wafers, Queen Anne Cakes and Shellbark Kisses.

Each recipe is timed appropriately for the year and for the holiday calendar as well as incorporating special event party desserts for feeding a crowd. On September 23rd, there's a recipe that includes all your friends - Cake in Large Quantity for a Party. On Christmas Day, there's a recipe for Old-Fashioned Christmas Fruit Cake, and on February 14th, there's a recipe for Roses - a heart-shaped cake topped with fresh Angelica flowers. 

So fun on all fronts, bakers nowadays might like to peruse it for the calendar aspect and celebrate important dates with a specially baked dessert. Culinary history lovers will delight in the rarity of this book and the variety of recipes it contains. A wonderful example of heirloom baking that inspired generations to come, all recipes are made with whole ingredients and simple steps.

Please note: While this cookbook does include recipe directions utilizing the standard measurement system (cups/teaspoons, etc) it does not include exact oven temperatures as all of these recipes would have been made using a cast-iron wood-fired stove.  "Bake in a moderate oven" is the general temperature guideline throughout unless the recipe calls for stovetop preparation. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Rare first edition published in August 1904 by George W. Jacobs, Philadelphia
• 179 pages including a detailed index
• Petite size
  

{CONDITION}

In lovely antique condition, this book is in well-kept shape. There are some light cooking stains and foxing spots on some pages. There are folded corners on a handful of pages, most likely indicating favorite recipes from a previous cook. The red coverboards contain some faded areas due to age, and there is a black ink stain on the back top edge. The title appears on the front coverboard but is only partially visible. The spine is tight and all pages are intact. 

Photo of Marion Harland courtesy of the Warren County Democrat, May 10, 1888. Photo of Mary J. Lincoln courtesy of The New England Kitchen, May 1894. 

{SIZE}

Measures 6" inches (length) x 4" inches (width) x 1.75" inches (thickness) and weighs 8 oz.