The Housekeeper’s Guide – Esther Copley – 1834 | First edition | Recipes

The Housekeeper’s Guide or a Plain & Practical System of Domestic Cookery by Esther Copley is an 1834 Victorian household manual. Copley, noted for her domestic writings, published this book when the British middle class was growing and valued structured instruction for household management.

This first edition covers topics such as kitchen utensils, sauce preparation, instructions for butchering mutton and poultry, methods for preparing varieties of fish, direction on make stews, fruit pies, and preserves. It also includes sections on making wine and beer, making chocolate, and how to keep poultry and pigs healthy.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Housekeeper’s Guide or a Plain & Practical System of Domestic Cookery
• Author(s): Esther Copley
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s):
• Publisher: London: Jackson & Walford
• Edition: First edition, 1834
• Format: (16mo), single volume
• Binding: Leather spine with marbled boards
• Size:  6.5 in x 4.25 in (16.5 cm x 10.8 cm)
• Collation: [xi], 407 pp
• Illustrations: 6 full-page engravings (including frontis)
• Contents Include:
  • Hints on cleanliness and punctuality
  • Kitchen utensils
  • Sauce making
  • Butchery of mutton and poultry
  • Preparation of fish
  • Stews and soups
  • Fruit pies and preserves
  • Wine and beer production
  • Chocolate preparation
  • Care of pigs and poultry
• Provenance: provenance
• Reference(s): references

Condition:

Bound in leather with marbled boards, the volume shows rubbing and wear to the hinges and covers but remains overall very good. The text block is complete and secure with mild handling visible.

Why Collect This?

• Early Victorian household manual by Esther Copley
• Combines culinary instruction with livestock care
• First edition

Item Number: #29373