She will need to learn not only to prepare all the food needed in her household, but to raise her own garden and poultry and to save every last bit, as has not been done in several generations. (from the Wartime Cookery section)

{HISTORY}

Containing over 850 pages, this 1943 edition of The American Woman's Cook Book is a giant when it comes to culinary history in both size and scope.

Compiled by the Culinary Arts Institute, which was headed up by Ruth Berolzheimer (1886-1965), a prolific 20th-century food writer, the American Woman's Cook Book is a classic kitchen primer. Originally published in 1938, it covers all aspects of cooking from recipes to food preservation, kitchen equipment to table setting, nutrition to menu planning. 

As the first American cookbook to include full-color photographs, it was a trendsetter for its time, catching America's attention and excitement by storm. Selling over one million copies by the early 1940s, The American Woman's Cook Book quickly became a well-regarded kitchen staple. It represented not only a vast vault of early to mid-20th-century American recipes but also was a resource and reference guide for all matters cooking-related. From how to pluck a chicken to how to make a multi-tiered wedding cake, this cookbook was intended for the novice cook as well as the experienced one, offering practical, creative, economical, and contemporary recipes that could be relied on for nutritional health and happiness. 

This 1943 edition reigned supreme when it came to promoting patriotism in the kitchen. Bound in its special blue victory binding with an eagle on the cover, this cookbook both begins and ends with the sobering reminder that the country is at war and everyone needs to do their part. With a tribute to General Douglas MacArthur following the decorated endpapers, women were encouraged to "create, to conserve, and to serve" in any way possible in order to support the troops and help end the war.

The last 62 pages of this book focuses specifically on wartime recipes and menu planning which helped home cooks navigate the challenges of WWII rationing when butter, sugar, coffee, and tinned foods were heavily rationed. This section is especially interesting from a food history perspective. It details what home cooks were saving to further extend meals, what they were substituting as far as ingredients, and how they were budgeting based on restricted incomes. 

The rest of the 700+ pages contains all the favorite recipes found within other editions of The American Woman's Cookbook ensuring that home cooks would still be able to return to their favorite recipes long after the war was over. 

Appropriate for a wartime cookbook, this one looks as if it's been through a few kitchen battles itself. The cover is in shabby shape with frayed edges and creases but remains completely intact. The interior pages contain a few random cooking spots but otherwise are very clean and bright throughout.   Along with colorful food photography, and black and white step-by-step demonstration photos, it also includes thumb tabs along the foredge.

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1943 Edition
• 816 pages including a detailed index and an additional 62-page wartime supplement
• Thumb tabs
• Full-color and black-and-white photographs throughout

{SIZE}

Measures 5.5" inches (width) x 8.25" inches (length) x 2" inches (depth) and weighs 3.2 lbs

{CONDITION}

Please note the info above.  In well-loved, vintage condition, the coverboards have taken the brunt of kitchen adventures as they are scuffed, spotted and frayed. The interior of the cookbook is clean and bright, with just a few random cooking spots on a couple of pages. There is a slight lean to this cookbook and some of the pages are lightly wrinkled. The page tab titles have faded a bit over time. The color photographs are very bright and vibrant. All pages are intact and the spine is tight. Please see photos.   

{WHY IT IS ESPECIALLY MARVELOUS}

A veritable treasure trove of recipes, this book is fascinating to read like a novel, page by page. Not only does it contain thousands of heirloom recipes but it also offers a glimpse into a world of rare and unusual dishes that have not traveled quite so effortlessly into our 21st-century food scene (Roast Squirrel, Mushroom Catchup, Pigeon Stew, Frozen Pudding with Rum, Peanut Scrapple, Potted Pigeon, etc).