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Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8
Thanks. I never intentionally misrepresent things, of course. Most of the time I really don't have any choice but to rely on the promotional materials to be truthful. And for Mobilereaders like yourself and Froid to spot errors and share what they find.
Speaking of Mrs. Beeton's name being used as sort of an ananym (pretend name for the real author (that's putting it kindly)) . . . . we have a prominent brand of cookbooks, food, and maybe other things in the U.S. called "Betty Crocker." The difference between "her" and Mrs. Beeton is the fact that Mrs. Beeton was a real person (if I can believe what I read. ha), but there never was a real Betty Crocker. It is a made up brand name ( Wikipedia).
This brings up a question. I wonder if she really wrote the needlework and household management books that Cinaisajoy spoke of? Or any of the others?
Assuming that what you and Froid found are truthful, "Mrs Beeton's" books are only a notch above, in my mind, the cut-and-paste (copying from the Internet and creating a book) ebooks that we have spoken of and discussed on this thread. Maybe the Mrs Beeton books long ago were inspiration to the people who do those things today! ha
But just think: Mrs. Beeton died at age 28. Just imagine what more she could have written if she had lived a normal lifespan! I tell you, the world is a poorer place because she didn't!  (yes, that is a joke) |
From what I've read, I view:
- The living Isabella Beeton in a similar light to the Brothers Grimm and Joel Chandler Harris. They all compiled, and in some cases adapted, refined, formatted, or in some way standardized, the presentation of pre-existing recipes/home management/etiquette advice (in Beeton's case); European folklore (in the Grimms' case); and African/African-American Uncle Remus stories (in Chandler Harris' case). None of them invented or created original works, but their adaptation/editing/compilation/publication efforts popularized the content in question. I don't begrudge any of them the ensuing recognition they garnered, even though it's ironic in some cases (e.g., Isabella Beeton was a poor cook), and engendered controversy or backlash in others (e.g., Joel Chandler Harris was white, and his portrayal of characters and dialogue in the Uncle Remus stories eventually came to be seen as racist and patronizing).
- Though it was shady business to perpetuate the myth that Isabella was still alive and personally involved in the production of "Mrs. Beeton" publications that were created posthumously, I "get" the perpetrators' motivation for doing that. They, in effect, branded "Mrs. Beeton" products using a popular, iconic persona much like those associated with never-anything-but-fictional, yet extremely popular, personas that have been best-sellers in a variety of fields, some already mentioned in this thread - Betty Crocker and Aunt Jemima - and some others not otherwise mentioned, e.g., Uncle Ben (of Uncle Ben's food products); Victor Appleton or Laura Lee Hope (of the Stratemeyer Syndicate's book series); and Evan-Picone (the fashion house founded by Charles Evans).