{HISTORY}

The picturesque landscape of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, has been home to creatives of all sorts since 1898. As a true artist community that has inspired creative endeavors for over a century, it is no wonder that artistic flair extends beyond paintbrush and dance step, theatrical performance, and musical melodies, to include work in the kitchen too.  In county towns like New Hope, Yardley, Buckingham, and Doylestown, many a hospitable and inspiring evening has been spent around a dining table dotted with dishes and inspiring conversations that fueled the creative energy that this magical community emotes. 

In 1950, a local 100-year-old Bucks County church, Trinity Chapel, was in need of expansion. To fuel the construction project, the women's auxiliary got together to raise funds by publishing a cookbook of local recipes that were thoroughly celebrated and enjoyed within this artistic community. 

We don't normally stock spiral-bound cookbooks or church committee recipe compilations in the shop, but this cookbook is an exception due to its beautiful illustrations contributed by noted Pennsylvania artists, whose work is now held in private collections and public museums around the country. Since 1681, Bucks County has been home to food lovers, gardeners, agriculture enthusiasts, and artists. The three creative arts became so intertwined that today Bucks County is known as one of Pennsylvania's premier dining areas where farm-fresh produce, local game, and artisanal products grace tables in all of its 26 towns. New Hope especially is a mecca for antique buyers, foodies, and artists all beautifully intertwined in a sociable setting of historic houses situated along the Delaware Canal. 

Packed with over 300 recipes all submitted and hand-signed by local cooks and  illustrated by over two dozen artists living in the region, Bucks Cooks became a treasured reminder of the wealth of creativity that sprang from one of the state's oldest counties. 

Recipes run the gamut from humble breakfast foods that serve just a few to hearty Thanksgiving dinner fare meant for a crowd. Peppered between pages are illustrations of local settings, familiar sites, and popular dining establishments that emphasize regional cuisine and historical significance. 

Well-known 20th-century artists that contributed illustrations to this cookbook include, among others, painter Daniel Garber (1880-1958), comic book artist Frank Goodwin (1889-1959), impressionist painter Harry Leith-Ross (1886-1973), modernist painter Paul Croswaithe (1910-1981), and Frederick "Fritz" Siebel (1913-1991), the famed illustrator of the Amelia Bedelia series. 

Interesting recipes include Egg Cutlets, Scotch Mince Collops, Corned Beef Hash, Roast Guniea Hen, Homestead Fried Chicken, Harvard Beets, Know-Nothing Breakfast Cake, Brussels Sprouts & Chestnuts à la Crème, Bread Croquettes with Tomato Sauce & Potatoes, Dandelion Greens (Mother's Way), Italian Wonder Dressing, Pretense Pie, Pears with Meringue & Chocolate Sauce, Uncooked Fudge, Fattigmand, Neptune's Eyes, Fig Pudding, Whipped Cream Cake, Cranberry Kuchen, Shoo-Fly Pie, Spiced Watermelon Rind, Green Tomato Joy, Canadian Relish, Wassail, Chutney House Curried Turkey, Cinnamon Cookies, and Danish Apple Dessert.

A runaway hit upon debut, the ladies of the Trinity Chapel Auxiliary not only raised enough money to fund the church expansion but also their cookbook went through numerous reprintings over the next two decades. This edition (the eighth printing of the original) was published in 1969. It's inscribed with a lovely sentiment to a previous owner by the daughter of one of the original auxiliary women who compiled the cookbook. 

Included with this listing are portraits of four of the artists featured within the cookbook as well as a modern photo of Trinity Church in Solebury, PA, now celebrating its 150th year in operation. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Published in 1969, Eighth Printing
• 228 pages
• Illustrated throughout
• Also includes poems and a map of the county
• Spiral binding

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, this cookbook is entirely intact with a sturdy spiral binding and secure pages. Clean and bright throughout, there are no cooking spots, stains, or notations with exception of a gift inscription written in pencil on the inside endpaper from the daughter of one of the original cookbook compilers. Please see photos. 

{SIZE}

Measures 9' inches (length) x 7" inches (width) x .75" inches (thickness) and weighs 1.4 lbs