The art of cookery made plain and easy - Hannah Glasse

Revised and republished many times since its 1747 debut, this cookbook was a bestseller in England and the United States for more than 100 years. Author Hannah Glasse dismisses French cookery as fussy and expensive, focusing instead on standards of Anglo-American cuisine. Simple dishes, from soups to cakes, feature straightforward directions.

Hannah Glasse (1708-70) was the author of several cookbooks, The Art of Cookery being the most successful. Forced to sell the copyright in 1754, she wound up in debtors' prison. Glasse's legacy endures, and English celebrity chef Clarissa Dickson Wright hailed her as ""the mother of the modern dinner party.""