The United States Cook Book. A Complete Manual for Ladies, Housekeepers and Cooks
Philadelphia: John Weik & Co., 1859. Early Philadelphia Edition. 12mo, xxi, 165 pages, publisher's original green cloth over paper covered boards. Vollmer’s The United States Cook Book is a scarce pre-Civil War American cookbook, first issued in Philadelphia in 1856 and here present in the early 1859 John Weik & Co. edition. Written by William Vollmer, a professionally trained European chef who had served in hotels abroad and later as steward of the Union Club in Philadelphia, the book reflects a more cosmopolitan and professional approach to mid-19th-century American cookery than the average domestic receipt book. Its recipes and instructions bridge European hotel cuisine and practical American household cooking, making it an appealing title for collectors of early American gastronomy, Philadelphia imprints, culinary history, and immigrant contributions to American foodways. Copies of any 1850s edition are uncommon in the trade, and its inclusion in standard early American cookery bibliographies underscores its scarcity and importance among American cookbooks published before 1860.
Provenance: From the library of Dr. William Woys Weaver, acclaimed American food historian and author, acquired directly from his historic home, Roughwood, in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Fraying along front hinge, sections of pages detached, some discoloration, rubbing and wear, else in good condition. Item #314
Price: $400.00