We believe that this world be happier if it had more good plain cooks... (from the Preface)

{HISTORY}

Every vintage cookbook tells a unique story, but there is something extra compelling about a cookbook published during war years.

This one, The Good Housekeeping Cook Book was published in 1944 while the country was deep into WWII. It's the 7th edition of the original published in 1942, and while it doesn't specifically contain chapters dedicated to war-time cooking, references to stretching foods, getting the most nutrition possible, alternative substitutions, and keeping a waste- free kitchen are mentioned throughout as definitions of being not only a good cook, but also a good steward to budget, nutrition and kitchen care.  

The editors, Katherine Fisher and Dorothy B. Marsh, are more than happy to declare this a "plain" cookbook full of tried, tested, and proven recipes for success, enjoyment, and interest throughout the year. As a comprehensive cookbook, it included everything a beginning cook would need to know and contained enough practical information, that if this was the only cookbook she owned, she could grow to become not only an accomplished cook, but also a gracious hostess and kitchen manager.  

Beyond the thousands of recipes, there are tips on organizing the kitchen workspace, how-tos for setting the table for company and everyday meals, a plethora of suggested menus for various affairs throughout the year, equipment checklists for a functional kitchen, cleaning instructions, nutritional charts,  dieting info, helpful tips on cooking for one, school lunch ideas for the kiddos, crowd pleaser recipes suited for large parties, tips on working with waitstaff, and all sorts of time table graphs for various cooking situations.

All that extra info makes this book a time capsule of what the mid-1940s WWII kitchen looked like, how it functioned, and the types of meals that were prepared while food was rationed, anxiety was high, and uncertainty greeted each day alongside hungry bellies and conscientious cooks. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1944 Edition, 7h printing
• 981 pages including a detailed index
• Interesting recipes include Toasted Cheese Sandwiches, Steamed Holiday Cranberry Pudding, Molasses Wheat Bread, Apple Flake Crunch, Lemon Nut Refrigerator Cookies, Captain's Bars, Caramel Drops, One Bowl Chocolate Cake, Individual Baked Alaska, Ice Cream Pie, Steamed Blueberry Pudding, Baked Bean Special, Potato Pegs,  Lima and String Beans Au Gratin, Braised Venison, Turkey and Ham Turnovers, Crab Meat a la Nome, Luncheon Rarebit Sandwiches, Golden Carrot Soup, Potato Chip Snappies, Fried Chicken with Herbs, Shrimp Creole, Sunday Morning Breakfast Cake, and Steamed Boston Brown Bread
• Illustrated with both color and black and white photographs and black and white line drawings 
• Also contains a handwritten recipe and a few newspaper clippings

{CONDITION}

In well-loved vintage condition, this book is clean and bright throughout with the exception of a few random cooking spots here and there. A few of the pages are dog-eared or partially folded over - an occurrence that often denotes a favorite recipe.  One side of the decorated endpaper is missing in front. The coverboards contain light staining on the front and back. The interior color food photographs are bright and colorful. A handwritten recipe for Welsh Rarebit is written in pencil on the back of one of the color plates, and a few newspaper clippings are tucked in between pages. The spine is tight and all pages are intact, minus the one mentioned above. 

{SIZE}

Measures 8.5" inches (length) x 5.75" inches (width) x 1.5" inches (thickness) and weighs 2.7 lbs.