The introductory texts reproduced here were written by the original Feeding America team to contextualize the books that were selected for inclusion as part of the 2001 digitization project.
Dr. Chase's Recipes, or, Information for Everybody. Tenth Edition.Ann Arbor, MI: Chase, 1864.
It is surprising that this book and the others by Dr. Chase are not better known to most culinary historians. Dr. Chase's books were among the most popular publications of the 19th century, often touted as being second only to the Bible in total sales. They went through dozens of editions, in at least two languages (English and German), with publishers in three countries (United States, Canada and England).
This book, in a variety of editions, was carried across the prairies with the pioneers. It almost certainly sold more than 4 million copies - all of this before modern reprints and facsimiles. In some copies of his works, the publicity indicated that "Chase's book had the largest sale of any book printed in America."
Why was this book so popular? Partially it was the historical times. When Dr. Chase began writing, America was still young, a rural, pioneering country. Tens of thousands of citizens were homesteading, making their way west, trying to tame this broad country of ours. Most people still lived on farms. There was no place to easily find information on human health, diet and cooking; animal health and care; household helps and "how tos" - furniture polish; varnish for removing stains, spots and mildew; tooth powder; boot, shoe and harness edge color; waterproof oil blacking; crockery cement; shampoo; cologne; washing fluid; dentrifice; hair dye; rat exterminator; grease remover; mustache wax; ink; or oil to make hair grow and curl (olive oil, oils of rosemary and origanmun-mixed and applied rather freely).
Another reason was Dr. Chase's personal notes - warm, chatty, professional, folksy, authoritative. Although almanacs offering medical advice were ubiquitous, Dr. Chase, at least, did earn an M.D. degree, unlike the thousands of other patent medicine salesman peddling their wares in all parts of America. A third explanation lies in Chase's salesmanship, merchandising and public relations genius. He was ahead of his time in what we might now call consumer marketing; his abilities in this area deserve a book of their own!
And lastly, the breadth and scope of the book. In many editions, the index requires fourteen pages of small type. These include Departments of and for Merchants and Grocers, Saloon-Keepers, Medical, Tanners Shoe and Harness Makers, Painters, Blacksmiths, Gunsmiths, Jewelers, Farriers, Cabinet-Makers, Barbers and Toilet, Bakers and Cooks, Domestic Dishes, Miscellaneous, Whitewash and Cheap Paints, Coloring, Interest, and a Glossarial and Explanatory section.
It literally was an indispensable guide for how to live in America in the last half of ther 19th century.
Cookery and baking recipes can be found in a number of the chapters. An ingenious chart for making fifteen kinds of cakes can be found in the baking section. A few of the more interesting recipes include: Buckwheat Short-Cake, Steamboat Style Baked Apples ("better than preserves"), the Michigan Farmer's Method of Preserving Meat, and Smoked Meat-To Preserve for Years, or for Sea Voyages.
This volume requires serious attention; it is an important American artifact.
