Culinary Ephemera: An Illustrated History
This extraordinary collection, a trove of enchanting designs, appealing colors, and forgotten motifs that stir the imagination, features an unprecedented assortment of ephemera, or paper collectibles, related to food. It includes images of postcards, match covers, menus, labels, posters, brochures, valentines, packaging, advertisements, and other materials from nineteenth- and twentieth-century America.\ Internationally acclaimed food historian William Woys Weaver takes us on a lively tour...
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"William Woys Weaver's personal collection of food-and-drink ephemera is a marvel of culinary Americana, and we have the chance here to visit it with Weaver himself as our guide. It's impossible to stop turning the pages of this dazzling book. Few works in any genre have captured so precisely and memorably the interplay of food, design, technology, business and popular culture. Food-lovers, professional and otherwise, will find that every one of these provocative images inspires new questions, fresh ideas and enormous delight."—Laura Shapiro, author of Perfection Salad: Women and Cooking at the Turn of the Century"This wonderful new book is not to be missed by collectors, gourmets, or anyone nostalgic for the dishes grandma used to make!" —Arthur H. Groten, President of the Ephemera Society of America, www.ephemerasociety.orgLibrary JournalWeaver (director, Keystone Ctr. for the Study of Regional Foods & Food Tourism), a veteran voice on culinary Americana who has penned 14 books including two Julia Child Award winners (Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking), presents an unsurpassed chronicle of a portion of American culinary history through paper collectibles. Gorgeous full-color representations of each piece give readers VIP access to the best of Weaver's personal collection. His materials include the obvious wrappers, menus, and almanacs of yore but also surprises like sheet music and valentines. Fascinating examples from Prohibition demonstrate its colossal impact on American society, from public service announcements on paper fans warning of the dangers of moonshine to the genesis of baking soda biscuit recipes. What makes this book special is Weaver's careful, engaging contextualization of each piece, giving the reader a comprehensive understanding of how the ephemera fit into everyday life. Verdict Highly recommended. This book has extremely broad appeal and will entice anyone interested in antiques and collectibles, American history, advertising, or vintage cookery.—Carolyn M. Schwartz, Westfield State Univ. Lib., MA
\ Library JournalWeaver (director, Keystone Ctr. for the Study of Regional Foods & Food Tourism), a veteran voice on culinary Americana who has penned 14 books including two Julia Child Award winners (Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking), presents an unsurpassed chronicle of a portion of American culinary history through paper collectibles. Gorgeous full-color representations of each piece give readers VIP access to the best of Weaver's personal collection. His materials include the obvious wrappers, menus, and almanacs of yore but also surprises like sheet music and valentines. Fascinating examples from Prohibition demonstrate its colossal impact on American society, from public service announcements on paper fans warning of the dangers of moonshine to the genesis of baking soda biscuit recipes. What makes this book special is Weaver's careful, engaging contextualization of each piece, giving the reader a comprehensive understanding of how the ephemera fit into everyday life. Verdict Highly recommended. This book has extremely broad appeal and will entice anyone interested in antiques and collectibles, American history, advertising, or vintage cookery.—Carolyn M. Schwartz, Westfield State Univ. Lib., MA\ \
