Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management

Originally published as 24 newspaper columns from 1859 to 1861, Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management was at first a guide to managing a household. Today it is a fascinating look at the past and a guide to forgotten skills that can be used today.

Beeton wrote, “As with the commander of an army, or the leader of any enterprise, so is it with the mistress of a house.” Running an extravagant household was a monumental task and a responsibility not to be taken lightly. It meant supervising every employee, from the butler to the laundry-maid to the footman and the wet nurse. It meant managing the safety, happiness, comfort, and well-being of the family. Chapters include:

• The Housekeeper
• Arrangement and Economy of the Kitchen
• Introduction to Cooker
• General Directions for Making Soup
• Recipes: Fish
• Recipes: Pork and Ham
• Recipes: Poultry and Rabbit
• And much more!

In addition to offering advice on a wide range of domestic topics, this abridged edition of Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management contains hundreds of original recipes. A compendium of practical information about everything from animal husbandry to child care, this Victorian classic is both fascinating and still useful.

Sarah A. Chrisman, author of Victorian Secrets and This Victorian Life provides the foreword, reflecting on how she uses Mrs. Beeton’s advice on a daily basis.

Isabella Beeton was born Isabella Mary Mayson (1836–1865). After marrying a London publisher, she wrote domestic columns and translated French texts. Her first work was published when she was twenty-two. She died at the age of twenty-five of an infection she contracted during the birth of her fourth child.

Sarah A. Chrisman is the author of Victorian Secrets and This Victorian Life, as well as the editor of True Ladies & Proper Gentlemen. Alongside her husband, Gabriel, she gives presentations on nineteenth-century fashion and culture. She resides in Port Townsend, Washington.