As Thanksgiving approaches, here a look at some culinary treasures at the Toppan Rare Book Library—two cookbooks that show how Americans have celebrated the holiday across different eras.
A Child’s Party Paradise
Let’s start with the more playful of our two books: Cornelia Staley’s Childrens Party Book: Games, Decorations, Menus, and Recipes from 1935. Part of the Mary Kay Mason Collection, this delightful volume is packed with ideas for making celebrations special—even during the Depression years when money was tight.
The Thanksgiving section is particularly charming. Staley suggests sending invitations with turkey stickers and a clever rhyme about the Pilgrims coming over in 1620. For entertainment, she recommends “Turkey in the Straw”—a game where kids hunt for a cellophane-wrapped chocolate turkey hidden in straw. You can almost hear the laughter.
The menu she proposes is quite practical: Creamed Tuna Fish in Toast Baskets, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Apple, Celery and Marshmallow Salad, Chocolate Pudding, Monkey Faces cookies, and milk. Not exactly traditional Thanksgiving fare, but perfect for a children’s party when you’re watching your budget. And honestly, Monkey Faces cookies sound pretty great.
The Authority on American Cooking
Now for the serious stuff. Our 1909 edition of The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer is from the Eliza W. Toppan Collection, and it’s a beauty. If you’ve ever followed a recipe, you owe Fannie Farmer a debt of gratitude. She’s the one who insisted on level measurements—no more “a pinch of this” or “a handful of that.” Her precision earned her the nickname “The Mother of Level Measurements,” and it changed American cooking forever.
Farmer’s approach to roasting turkey is meticulous. Dress, clean, stuff, and truss your ten-pound bird. Rub it with salt. Coat it with butter mixed with flour. Place it in a hot oven. Then—and here’s the labor-intensive part—baste it every fifteen minutes for three hours. Every. Fifteen. Minutes. Thanksgiving dinner was serious business in 1909.
The stuffing options are impressive: Chestnut, Oyster, or Swedish Style. And if you really wanted to go all out, there’s a recipe for Chestnut Gravy that involves mashing chestnuts and adding them to the turkey drippings. These were not shortcuts-in-the-kitchen kind of people.
More Than Just Recipes
What makes these books special isn’t just the recipes—it’s the glimpse they give us into how people actually lived and celebrated. Farmer’s cookbook shows us the elaborate, formal holiday dinners of the early 1900s. Staley’s party book reveals how families found creative ways to celebrate during tough economic times. Together, they tell the story of how Thanksgiving evolved from a Victorian feast to something more relaxed and family-friendly.
These cookbooks live at the Toppan Rare Book Library, where they’re preserved for anyone curious about how we’ve fed ourselves—and celebrated together—over the years. This Thanksgiving, while you’re enjoying your own meal (and probably not basting anything every fifteen minutes), you might spare a thought for all those cooks who came before, doing their best to make the day special.
Post contributed by Leslie Waggener with special thanks to Toppan Rare Books Curator Dr. Mary Beth Brown for supplying books and images.