Many people are aware of Mrs Beeton, but you may not know that this British housewife contributed greatly to the field of home making in her short 28 years!
Isabella,12 March 1836 – 6 February 1865, the wife of a publisher, wrote a monthly supplement
to The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine. These supplements, which dealt with
household management as well as cooking, were published as a single volume in
1861. The rather long title of this volume was, ''The Book of Household
Management, comprising information for the Mistress, Housekeeper, Cook,
Kitchen-Maid, Butler, Footman, Coachman, Valet, Upper and Under House-Maids,
Lady’s-Maid, Maid-of-all-Work, Laundry-Maid, Nurse and Nurse-Maid, Monthly Wet
and Sick Nurses, etc. etc.—also Sanitary, Medical, & Legal Memoranda: with
a History of the Origin, Properties, and Uses of all Things Connected with Home
Life and Comfort'. {Sounds like a lot of the servants in Downton Abbey listed here!} This book is more well-known as Mrs Beeton's Book of
Household Management.
This tome of household wisdom comprises of 1,112 pages, with over 900 of these pages containing recipes.
From this large book, smaller books have been created, such as the volume I own : Mrs Beeton's Jam-Making.
These books are treasure indeed, so if you come across one, be sure to snap it up!
