This was a popular book, in the years that it was published, 1832-1845, going through thirty-two editions (source: GoodReads).
The book includes "remedies, advice on parenting, and tips for housekeepers" (GoodReads). Much of the information about those things is outdated, irrelevant, or otherwise unusable. But there are also many recipes, and that's a different matter.
Many of the recipes that I saw were for dishes that I have never heard of before. I wondered if it was because they had simply gone out of style. I'm thinking that many of them would be enjoyed today if cooks would make them.
A fairly large publishing company, Andrew McMeel, has published the book in recent times. It is available at Amazon right now, new, in hardcover and Kindle mobi. I don't know if McMeel republished it because they saw practical value in some of its contents today or for the nostalgic/historical interest (perhaps it was both). At any rate, the fact that it was republished by a publisher of McMeel's calibre is a testimony to its value in the present day.
The following edition is the 27th edition, 1841. It is an "enlarged and corrected" edition. It's the newest edition that I could find. And, it's several years/editions newer than the one published today that you would have to buy.
Title: The American Frugal Housewife.
Format(s): EPub, PDF.
Author(s): Mrs. (Lydia Maria Francis) Child.
Publisher: Samuel S. & William Wood (Publishing Company).
Pages: 130.
Ebook Rating/Number of Reviews (Amazon): 5.0 (3); 3.36 (641) at GoodReads.
Price: $0.00.
Lowest Price at (or through Amazon) if available from there: $4.49 (Kindle mobi).
Book Description (Amazon):
Published in Boston in 1829, this volume in the American Antiquarian Cookbook Collection by a well-known social reformer, prolific novelist, and journalist provided recipes and tips for homemakers of the early 19th century with an emphasis on self-reliance and frugality in the household. The first American cookbook to focus on economy in the kitchen and the home.
Published in 1829 in Boston, The Frugal Housewife
was written by one of the foremost female writers and social reformers of her time, Lydia Maria Child. The charming collection of recipes and tips for homemakers of the early 19th century emphasized frugality in the kitchen and self-reliance in the household—making this work wildly popular in its day. It had over 35 printings, and much of the content is relevant in modern times. Frugal Housewife
was the first American cookbook to replace Amelia Simmons’s American Cookery, still in use since publication in 1796, and it was also the first to emphasize the themes of thrift and economy in the kitchen.
Considered a “must-read” for every new bride in the 19th century, The Frugal Housewife
offered simple recipes such as Apple Pie, Corned Beef, Gingerbread, Indian Cakes, and Pie Crust, but also included advice on parenting, cleaning, and medical problems, plus numerous practical, Yankee-straightforward tips for saving money. Not just a collection for antiquarians, The Frugal Housewife
is a fascinating work by a prolific author that will delight modern-day readers with its quaint but still usable recipes and tips.
Comments: I believe this to be a legal
free download, because the book is out of copyright (and has been for a long time!). It is also posted by Google Books as a
free ebook.
URL: https://books.google.com/books?id=D3...sewife&f=false. *
* Downloading a book from Google Books is not very intuitive, IMHO. In case you have never done it before, here are instructions. First, click on the symbol, near the top righthand corner of the webpage, that looks like a gear (maybe that's what it's supposed to be, I dunno). You'll get a drop-down menu with several options, including to download the ePub and to download the PDF. Select the one(s) that you want. Depending upon how your computer is set up, the document(s) will save to your hard drive and/or open where you can view it(them).