Old cookbook restored

debrak2008

10 years ago

My grandmothers cookbook (1939-43) used to look like this.

The covers were detached.

Now it looks like this.

Now it should last another 75 years.

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Comments (19)

ann_t
10 years ago
Wow, someone did a wonderful job restoring your grandmother's book.

~Ann
netla
10 years ago
Looks like a nice bit of re-casing (or was it rebinding? Do tell). Now it can last another 70 years (or more).
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I was one of the people who mentioned Settlement Cookbook before. It is what my mother used and I grew up using. But mine is the "New Settlement Cookbook" 1952 edition. Much later than the one on this site. I checked the sponge cake recipes that I use at Passover and they seem to be the same in both. BTW, Amazon.com has modern reproductions of the 1903 edition by a couple of publishers. Feeding America is a great site. I discovered it when someone asked about a historic recipe for gingerbread (the thick cake type) for a school project and linked to it on that thread. It is interesting to click on the by date link and see the really old cookbooks. It will make you glad for modern cookbooks. My mom wasn't taught to cook as a child and told me that the relative who taught her after she was married would respond to questions about how much to put in a recipe with "As much as is enough." Many of the old recipes are like that - if you could understand the recipe you probably don't need it except perhaps to jog your memory. In addition to all our modern technological conveniences, recipe writing has improved a lot in the last 300 years. Check out the "House Servant's Directory" under 1824-1828. It flips from recipes on food to recipes for cleaning supplies and back without taking a breath - no apparent organization to it. It has a recipe to treat a wine that is too sour - by hanging horseradish root in the barrel for a while. Weird stuff in that book! From New England Cookery: A light cake to bake in small cups. Half a pound sugar, half a pound butter, rubbed into two pounds flour, one glass wine, one do. rose water, two do. emptins, a nutmeg, cinnamon and currants. What is emptins? What kind of measure is do.? How do you rub a butter sugar mixture into flour? Is it similar to cutting? (I've see "rub" before in old recipes.) Shrewsbury Cake. One pound butter, three quarters of a pound of sugar, a little mace, four eggs mixed and beat with your hand, till very light, put the composition to one pound flour, roll it into small cakes--bake with a light oven. N. B. In all cases where spices are named, it is supposed that they be pounded fine and sifted; sugar must be dried and rolled fine; flour dried in an oven; eggs well beat or whipped into a raging foam. "put" something "to" something is also common - I expect they mean to mix them together. Here is a link that might be useful: Settlement cookbook at Amazon
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debrak2008
Original Author
10 years ago
They are new covers and spine. Is that rebinding? They tried to make it look as much as the original as possible without me having to pay any extra above the regular fee of $45.
sally2_gw
10 years ago
I hope you kept the original cover.

Sally
netla
10 years ago
Debra, that's re-casing. Rebinding would have entailed taking everything apart and resewing it (which would have cost a fortune). It's often enough to re-case old books - a new spine covering generally tightens everything up and new covers can make such a difference.
ruthanna_gw
10 years ago
Did you know that The American Woman's Cookbook is the fourth best selling cookbook in history? I still have my mom's 1941 edition of it.

It's great that you preserved it so you can continue to use it. Lots of good basic recipes in there.
debrak2008
Original Author
10 years ago
I do have the original cover but what to do with it? My mom says to toss it. On the inside of the covers there is a photo of candies. I used to stare at these as a child. On the front inside cover the photo of the candies extends to the first page which I have. A friend said she would attempt to paste the page onto the first page. I'm not sure what to do with it.

Thanks for letting me know it is called "re-casing".

ruthanna, thats cool about the book. I do not know much about it.

This post was edited by debrak2008 on Mon, Feb 17, 14 at 17:27
netla
10 years ago
Debra, I have an idea for you. If you don't want to toss the cover, here's what you could do: Make a coptic-bound recipe notebook or a scrapbook and use the front and back covers for that. The technique is simple and the results can be quite impressive.

As for the spine, you could gently clean off the cardboard from the back, glue a nice picture (thin paper) onto the back instead, get it laminated and use it as a bookmark for the re-cased cookbook. I did this with the spine covering from an old book of detective stories I rebound some years ago that had some nice artwork on it and it's one of my favourite bookmarks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Coptic bookbinding
debrak2008
Original Author
10 years ago
Cool idea!

You lost me on the spine but couldn't I just drill holes in the cover as in the link you attached?
pkramer60
10 years ago
What a wonderful thing to do.

My Mom had a cookbook she brought with her from Germany and always used. About 10 years ago, it was falling apart. Being in the printing business, I had it re-bound for her. The front cover was gone so the bindery house created a new one for it. She was thrilled and now that she is gone, I am so glad to have. Her notes and fingerprints are all over it.

Cherish your grandmothers!
debrak2008
Original Author
10 years ago
I already gave instructions to my husband and my daughter that if something happens to me, my daughter is to have that cookbook. Just to make sure it gets passed down.
kitchendetective
10 years ago
You could frame the old covers in a shadow box. I would hate to see them tossed.
sally2_gw
10 years ago
It's cool you are now able to use the book, as that's what it's for. What a wonderful memorial to your mother.

I like Kitchendetective's idea. The cover could make a great picture/wall hanging for your kitchen.

Sally
Deeby
10 years ago
I'd frame it too ! I have a picture that I took of my grandmother's wonderful old kitchen. I'm going to have it made into a poster for my kitchen wall. It will be like walking into Grandma's beloved kitchen again.
MaceMace
9 years ago
Hi,
Could you please tell me the name of the place that did the restoration for you, and provide a link if possible?

Thanks!
Mace
grandmamary_ga
9 years ago
What a wonderful treasure. So sweet to pass it down to your daughter too.
Mary
OklaMoni
9 years ago
I would frame the old cover too!

Moni
Jasdip
9 years ago
They did a beautiful job, Debra.
I really like the idea of a frame or shadow-box for the original covers.
lpinkmountain
9 years ago
I love handmade books and I loved that coptic book binding, but boy oh boy, not for this klutz! :) I wish I had the patience for such things though. I adore origami too but have never been able to do it. I would do a shadow box. Do you have anything else from back then, like a salt shaker or matchbox or something. I have all of grandma and bubbe's old stuff, mom threw it out and I salvaged it. It is worn as can be but I still hang on to using it. Sadly I have no next generation to hand it down to. I could give it to cousins' kids but not sure what they would want with all this worn out old stuff anyway, since they have no memories from it.

Old cookbook restored

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Old cookbook restored

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