When pleasures to the eye and palette meet, the cook has rendered his great work complete. William King

{HISTORY}

Published in 1960, the Woman's Day Collector's Cook Book was a tour de force of engaging conversational cooking stories and eclectic recipes from around the globe. Including all meals of the day, these recipes (1500 of them!) originally appeared in pre-1960 issues of Woman's Day magazine and run the gamut from classic (Daffodil Cake)  to midcentury creative (Polka-Dot Potato Salad, which included slices of hot dogs to form the dots). 

What is especially fun about this midcentury cookbook is the whimsical art. Illustrated by Joseph Low (1911-2008), a celebrated American artist of children's books and New Yorker magazine covers, it contains drawings, colorful callouts, fun facts, and culinary quotes on each page. James Beard (1903-1985), America's most favorite gourmand introduces each chapter with his signature joie-de-vivre when discussing all things food. 

A cookbook capturing the quintessential midcentury cooking experience, these recipes are really interesting from both a food presentation perspective and an "exotic"  international cuisine selection, which was becoming all the rage in the 1960s kitchen. Most recipes call for a handful of simple ingredients. Some recipes include convenience foods in the form of pre-packaged doughs or mixes. Canned or frozen vegetables make an appearance in a few spots along with corn syrup but for the most part the majority of the recipes from this book call for fresh whole ingredients. 

Interesting selections include Chicken Alla Melanzana, Savory Sausage and Split-Pea Casserole, Brandade de Thon, Cheese Potato Custard, Fresh-Corn Muffins, German Onion Tart, Scalloped Sweet Potatoes & Cranberries, Cinnamon-Molasses Layer Cake, Orange Rum Cake, Kentucky Christmas Cake, Jelly Teacakes, Frozen Butterscotch-Pecan Roll, Philadelphia Ice Cream, Pumpkin Custard, Pastel Popcorn Balls, and Honeyed Orange Peel

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- 1960, First Edition published by E.P. Dutton

- 320 pages

- Includes 1500 recipes

- Illustrated on every page with colorful art by Joseph Low

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition. Very clean and bright inside and out. The rare dust jacket features chippy spots along the top and bottom edge and has been reinforced with archival paper to keep it from fraying any further. The spine is tight. All pages are intact.

{SIZE}

Measures 6" inches (width) x 8.5"inches (length) x 1" inch (thickness) and weighs 1.5lbs