National Network for Equitable Library Service

Printed in at least 20 editions by 1851, The Young Housekeeper was a successful work by prolific author and president of the American Vegetarian Society, William A. Alcott. Of the 108 books authored by Alcott, The Young Housekeeper focuses on the role of mothers and housekeepers in the healthy preparation of food for the family. Alcott stressed that the types of food consumed as well as the method of preparation all combined to be “best for their whole being, here and hereafter.” While Alcott’s beliefs and aspirations are informative about mid-19th century reform, The Young Housekeeper also provides recipes for simple vegetarian meals from chapters such as The Apple, The Pear, and The Cucumber. This edition of The Young Housekeeper was reproduced by permission from the volume in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1812 by Isaiah Thomas, a Revolutionary War patriot and successful printer and publisher, the Society is a research library documenting the life of Americans from the colonial era through 1876. The Society collects, preserves, and makes available as complete a record as possible of the printed materials from the early American experience. The cookbook collection includes approximately 1,100 volumes.