... because a good recipe travels as far and as fast as a good joke... Peg Bracken

{HISTORY}

If you asked Peg Bracken (1918-2007) which she would rather do... cook, clean, or write... she'd choose writing any day. So you might be a bit surprised to learn that Peg was the author of two bestselling cooking and cleaning books in the 1960s, both under the auspices of hating each.

When Peg's I Hate to Cook Book was published in 1960, she tapped into a previously unvoiced type of woman in mid-century America. Peg's fanbase was not the June Cleaver stay-at-home mom who baked cookies with as much joy as she scrubbed the kitchen floor or mended her family's clothing. Peg's fanbase was the type of woman who found joy anywhere else but in the domestic arena. 

A career girl at heart, Peg worked in a busy advertising agency with little free time to throw elaborate dinner parties or spend endless hours cleaning her living space to spotless status. She did still have to eat, though. 

For years, Peg was drawn to quick recipes, made with convenience foods, shortcut techniques or the simplest of instructions and ingredients. Good food quickly prepared with some help along the way, that was Peg's style. As the story goes, it was an inspiring conversation about cooking shortcuts during a luncheon with fellow career girlfriends that led Peg to write a cookbook for non-cooking women. 

Known for her infectious humor and fun-loving personality,  Peg filled her book full of recipes that she had been collecting here and there for years. The ones that could be prepared in mere minutes while also holding a good cocktail and a good conversation simultaneously. The ones that required just a minimal amount of market shopping. Or a quick bit of ingredient chopping.  The ones that were favorites of potlucks, parties, last-minute get-togethers. The passed-along recipes between friends, families, and co-workers that didn't require much more than a festive atmosphere or easy breezy effort.

So much more than just a collection of recipes, Peg's I Hate to Cook Book was a symbol of the emerging modern 1960s woman. It drew attention to the idea that female fulfillment didn't come in cookie-cutter fashion and it suggested that not everyone was interested in being a domestic goddess in a picture-perfect Betty Crocker kitchen. Peg's book, in a fun and playful way, celebrated the independent woman with all her culinary shortcomings, and in doing so, she amassed the adoration of millions of women around the world.

Selling over 3 million copies throughout her long writing career, The I Hate To Cook Book launched Peg's career as a humor writer and a cultural icon. Combined with illustrations by beloved illustrator Hilary Knight, this vintage cookbook is a lovely example of feminism, whimsicality, humor, art, and cooking all wrapped up in one. 

This particular cookbook offers more layers of story too. Stories that go beyond Peg to shed light on another midcentury cook. It was part of the collection of an avid California food and book lover named Beverly. A librarian by profession, Bev was full of opinions when it came to her culinary explorations. Her notes can be found on some of the pages in this book regarding recipes she liked (or didn't like!).  Those random markings add a fun layer of intimacy, perspective, and additional humor to Peg's book.  Learn more about Beverly and her 20th-century culinary journey in the shop here. 

Photo of Peg Bracken courtesy of the Times-Herald, February 21, 1978

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1966 printing of the 1960 original 
• 176 pages including detailed index and a list of 75 household tips 
• Interesting recipes include A-1 Chocolate Sundae, Chicken-Artichoke Casserole, Oven Carrots, Spinach Surprise, Sugar Belle's Rye Drop Cakes, Fast Spaghetti Sauce, Chewy Fudge-Cake Cookies, Cockeyed Cake, Solly's Sweet Potatoes, and Turkey Tetrazzini

{CONDITION}

Clean and bright throughout, this cookbook has been treasured by its previous owner.  Augmented with cooking notes throughout as to recipes that were favored (or not!), most marks are written in pen (see an example in the photos section). There are a few light random cooking spots on a few pages, but nothing that prevents reading the text in any way. 

The original dust jacket contains some wrinkling and chippy areas along the top and bottom edge. In order to preserve the dust jacket's appearance with its wonderful Hilary Knight illustration, the dust jacket has been reinforced with archival paper on the back to keep it intact. The decorated coverboards are clean and bright. The spine is tight, and all pages are intact.

{SIZE}

Measures 8.25" inches (length) x 5.5" inches (width) x .75" inches (thickness) and weighs 13 oz. 

{DONATION SUPPORTED!}

This cookbook gives back! 20% of the proceeds from the sale of this cookbook will be donated to Feeding America- a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries, and local meal programs dedicated to providing nutritious meals to food-insecure communities around the United States.