The Westminster Cook Book . . .

Canon City, Colo: Rambler Print Shop, 1911. 7¾” x 5¼”. Marbled boards. Pp. 99, [1, index]. Very good: boards lightly soiled, a touch worn at corners and spine tips; moderate dampstain to ffep; a few scattered spots, primarily at edges.

This is a rare cookbook, per its full title, “Issued for the Benefit of the Westminster Guild,” a women's church group in Canon City, Colorado, and full of recipes “Suited to High Altitudes.”

The book contains 302 recipes in 18 categories, heavy on the sweets, with separate sections for “pastries,” “candies,” “cakes and cookies,” as well as “creams and desserts.” Nearly every recipe names the woman responsible for its inclusion, and 17 pages of the book's first half are devoted to lavishly illustrated advertisements for local shops and services, kitchen furniture, baking ingredients and “Pure Food Products, Made in Colorado.” There are 18 entries for “puddings,” including a somewhat incongruous “easy way to make ice cream” using Jell-o powder, and six “chafing dish recipes” such as “blushing bunny” and “creamed shrimps and peas.” The book lists 19 “entrees,” mostly variations starring cheese, as well as 21 “meats and poultry” like a “ham loaf” and mutton chops for a “patriotic luncheon.” There are 24 recipes for salads (again, heavy on the cheese), 14 “miscellaneous,” including “spiced anything,” both “excellent” and “good” doughnuts and a “sour milk cake.” It also offers tips on a “quick nut bread,” an “emergency soup,” various dressings, jams and sauces. There is an index to the categories printed at the rear, and adages as advertising fodder to the top of several pages.

A rare and attractive cookbook from a women's group in Colorado. OCLC shows one holding. Very good. Item #8029

Price: $300.00