Modern Cookery, in All Its Branches

Eliza Acton was an English poet and cook born in Sussex in 1799. Her first verse was published in 1826, and she continued to publish single, longer poems, but it was her Modern Cookery that garnered her widest acclaim. It was an immensely influential book, extravagantly praised, that served as an early model for contemporary writing about cookery, and it remained in print until 1914. Sarah Josepha Hale was the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, the most influential American magazine published in the 19th century, for 40 years. With this role, Hale became the final and definitive resource on national taste for decades, and she wrote over 50 books. Among her numerous significant contributions to American culture, Hale is credited with making Thanksgiving a national holiday, helping to found Vassar College, penning “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and encouraging the higher education of women. She died in 1879 at the age of 90.