Up for auction by Dorothy Sloane Rare Books is a copy of the very first cookbook published in Texas. Coincidentally published in the same year that Hamilton Shirts was founded in 1883, The Texas Cookbook is a first edition of a very rare book in surprisingly good condition. Not only is this cookbook the first of its kind in Texas, it is only the third cookbook published west of the Mississippi, only preceded by Kansas and California.

Here are some interesting facts about the book from the auction listing:

“A wonderful example of nineteenth-century domestic economy in the West, with recipes for standard and regional cuisine, such as gumbo, crab omelet, broiled venison steak, and yacht pie (“the more ladies you have on board, the more onions should be used”). Almost half of the cookbook is devoted to desserts, including Spanish float, whip syllabub, tipsy squire, and ammonia jumbles. Regional wine recipes include mustang grape wine, ginger beer, and scuppernong wine. Eighty household hints include “A Sure Bed Bug Exterminator,” how to clean a carpet using potatoes, three methods of cleaning kid gloves, “How to Crystalize Grass,” etc. Homemade remedies are given for diphtheria and cholera. Some of the interleaving includes contemporary recipes in manuscript, e.g. the requisite fruit cake, molasses pie, devil food and angel food cake (on same page), date loaf, etc.

The ads are generally for local Houston businesses, including many food purveyors. Also found, however, are pharmacies, milliners, candy manufacturers, furniture stores, etc. This book is advertised in an ad at the end for $1.50 (post paid). Some of the contributors are men, and many of the recipes are attributed. The contributors’ names are listed at the front.”

Details about the December 12th auction can be found HERE. Starting bid starts at $500.00

Update: At the end of this auction, the cookbook finally sold for $1,200.00

Filed under: History, Houston, Texas by Stephen : No Comments »