Author: Johnson, Madam [Mary Johnson]
Title: MADAM JOHNSON's PRESENT or Every Young Woman's Companion in useful and Universl Knowledge. .. To this edition are added some plain and necessary directions to Maid-Servandts in General and several useful tables…
Description: London, W. Nicholl -fifth edition 1769 . Duodecimo later cloth-spined boards [sl.edge rubbed, rear coverpage missing, 168pp NOT COMPLETE lacks the later part of the "Directions to maid-servants in General.." though still present are Directions to house-maids and kitchen-maids +cleaning floors, plate, glass &c. + insturctions concerning chair-frames, tables, cabinets, oil floor-cloths +worsted & other sorts of stuffs etc. LACKS the last 2 gatherings which conclude the rest of the directions for cleaning and a 19 page spelling list. All the recipes and the 8 sections of the titlepage are here complete. Aimed at servants from the lower classes and she thus includes spelling, reading, writing & arithmetick "without the help of a Master" as the first of 8 sections. Other Sections,as listed on the titlepage include Compleat Market-woman + Cook's Guide for dressing meat & fish +pickling, pastry & confectionary +estimate of expences of a family in the middling station of life + art of Carving +fare for every month including special occasions. There are many rhymes and maxims to help memory, as well as rules of life and proverbs mostly of a subservient theme. An unusual book kept short so as to make it afordable to servants-to-be. Contents are clean and tight with minor edge dusting, and the final page somewhat darkened. Name John Robinson to top margin of title, possibly the 18th century MP for Harwich although this is conjecture.

Keywords: home economics, english cookery, servants education


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