A dense family receipts book began in Germany and completed in Philadelphia, from 1900-1950’s.

The fore-edge is divided ledger style into various recipe styles with red leatherette tabs titled in gilt in German: “Braten”, “Fische”, “Vorspeisen” etc. Internally, this volume is a wealth of clearly regularly referenced German recipes like Kalbskopf, Kaffeekuchen, Strudel, Erdber Eis, a variety of Creams, Puddings, endless cakes and biscuits, souffles, breads, preserves etc. The large majority of the recipes are in German, in two, or possibly three manuscript hands, in pen and pencil. There are some blanks, but it’s one of the most comprehensively used recipe books we’ve handled. Also present are a large number of recipe clippings and domestic articles, the majority in English and dating from 40’s/50’s USA, and in a later hand, a number of other manuscript recipe entries, notes and improvements in English and German. The overall effect, besides making us hungry, is to suggest the movement of a valued family repository of domestic knowledge between generations and across oceans, picking up new entries and ideas along the way. The earlier entries are almost certainly from a pre or possibly immediately post World War I Germany, and the later contributions go right up to 1960’s America. One of the few bits of inserted ephemera not directly dealing with a recipe for Chili or Angel Food Cake, is a small clipping from a Philadelphia newspaper from 1969 notifying the world that the Hirsher family (almost certainly an anglicised version of the German family name Hirscher) has moved into a notable property in Prattsville. Whilst a direct line of migration and ownership is all but impossible to prove, the likelihood of a traditional German cooking manuscript being passed down and crossing the world at some point during the 20th century is, for a variety of reasons, quite high.

Octavo. 120pp. approx. original black half morocco over marbled boards, with gilt decorative motifs. Chipped and worn to edges and extremities, with the spine covering gone, exposing the linen. Despite all defects the binding is strong. Clearly cherished and loved and handed down through generations. Patterned endpapers, ownership to verso of the front pastedown.