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{HISTORY}

Founded in 1895, the mission of the Atlanta Woman's Club was always to improve the lives of all women through advocacy, community outreach, education and infrastructure. Tackling a variety of projects that can still be seen and enjoyed throughout the city of Atlanta, GA today, the AWC was involved in a variety of endeavors that supported the arts, farming and agriculture, rural education, equal rights for women, neighborhood beautification, and pivotal decisions that shaped both the history and the trajectory of the city. They were even involved in the initial planning and building stages of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which has become the busiest airport in the world.

In 1921, these industrious women published The Atlanta Woman's Club Cook Book as a fundraiser to aid in building an auditorium to serve as a performing arts space, meeting room and special events venue in the historic Wimbish House, where the Club has been headquartered since 1920. Now a very, very rare, hard-to-find cookbook, this compilation of recipes submitted by club members, not only highlights Southern cooking but also offers important insight into the domestic lives of Southern women, particularly in the Atlanta area. 

In addition to recipes, there are additional chapters on kitchen organization, helpful hints, gardening, and budgeting your time,  including an hour-by-hour checklist of the ideal way to lay out your day. The Art of Kitchen Happiness, Queen Sweet Potato, Recipes from Famous Homes, and Woman's Club Favorites add plenty of charm and insight into the mindset of the 1920s cook living in the land of Southern hospitality. 

A very well-loved cookbook, this unique blend of recipes was thoroughly enjoyed in kitchens of the past as evidenced by the cooking stains and splatters found on almost all pages. The heaviest, and therefore the most prized, of these soiled pages are the baking chapters consisting of cakes, cookies, candies and baked goods. 

When this cookbook first came to the shop it was bound together by a smear of bright orange duct tape along the spine and cover, and loose pages were precariously dangling in front and back. Lovingly restored and pieced back together using archival book methods, the orange duct tape was removed, the covers cleaned and the pages secured to the spine once again. A pretty floral cloth fabric was attached to the spine (which was missing) for overall protection and the front and back cover were re-secured so that this cookbook will stay in sturdy condition for the next 100 years.

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Published in 1921

 - Contains 279 pages including a detailed index and ads at the back of book

- Illustrated throughout with beautiful line drawings at the start of each chapter and occasional black and white photography.

- Very rare cookbook

- Aged patina

- Restored to a level with the intention of not making it look brand-new or perfect, but to keep all pages properly bound together and intact without changing the time-worn look of this rare book

- Interesting recipes run rampant throughout this whole book. Some of the ones that sound most curious are... Sweet Potato Pone, Banana Croquettes, Cranberry Snow, Rose Cream Mints, Baked Bon Bons, Asparagus in Ambush, Chicken Pie, Veal Daube Glace a la Creole, Kiss Pudding, Ruby Mousse, Tomato Fritters, Hopping John, Marshellow Dainty... oh there are so many more! 

 - Primarily features southern food 

- Contains a collection of advertisements at the back of the book, primarily made up of local sponsors

{CONDITION}

In well-loved condition. This cookbook has spots, stains, splatters and a few handwritten notations throughout. The cooking stains do not alter the ability to read any of the recipes with the exception of just a couple of recipes where there are scuffs/and or rips in the paper (please see photo).  Elementary archival bookbinding techniques have patched the book back together from decades of loose pages and sticky tape. A piece of cloth fabric has replaced the missing spine. Please see photos. 

{SIZE}

Measures 8.5" inches (length) x 5.5" inches (width) x .75" inches (thickness) and weighs  1lb. 2 oz