A classic handwritten collection of recipes of an Australian housewife of the 1940s.

By Marilynne Robinson

"Housekeeping" is a novel by Marilynne Robinson, first published in 1980. The novel tells the story of Ruth and her younger sister Lucille, who are left in the care of their eccentric aunt Sylvie, after their mother commits suicide and their grandmother dies. Sylvie is a wanderer who has never settled down, and her unconventional approach to life clashes with the small, conservative community of Fingerbone, Idaho, where the sisters grew up.

As the girls come of age, they struggle with their own sense of identity and belonging, and with the conflicting values and expectations of the people around them. Ruth is drawn to Sylvie's unconventional lifestyle, and becomes increasingly alienated from the town and its inhabitants, while Lucille yearns for a more stable and traditional life.

Throughout the novel, Robinson explores themes of family, loss, grief, and the search for meaning and belonging. She also delves into questions of gender, identity, and the complex relationships that exist between women. At its heart, "Housekeeping" is a deeply moving and introspective novel, which offers a nuanced and insightful exploration of the human experience.

Robinson's prose is spare and lyrical, and her characters are vividly drawn, with a sense of empathy and compassion that is both rare and profound. The novel is widely regarded as a modern classic, and has won numerous awards and accolades for its exceptional writing and storytelling.

NY. Picador. 1980. 219p.

By Betsy Newman and Graeme Newman

Take a culinary adventure to "the land down under" with Good Food from Australia! From the famous Vegemite Sandwich to grilling on the "barbie," the authors provide a generous collection of over 150 genuine Australian favorites. Start off with Egg and Bacon Pie (what real Australian men eat!), then sample some hearty Pocket Steak Melbourne or Dandenong Rabbit Pie, with a side of Victoria Salad, and top it all off with a slice of Maisie's Chocolate Peppermint Cake. You can even learn to drink a "cuppa tea" and a beer like a real Aussie! Reflecting the great variety and range of Australian cooking, some of the sections included in this cookbook are: "The Australian Melting Pot," "Steaks, Chops, and Snags," "Casseroles and Curries, "Cookies and Slices," and of course, "Outback Cooking." From the exotic and outlandish--Kangaroo Tail Soup and Fried Tiger Snake- to tried and true favorites like Hamburger Hot Pot and Banana Tea Cake, give your cooking some real Australian flavor with these unique recipes, specially adapted for the American kitchen.

NY. Hippocrene Books. 1997. 273p.

By A. G. Payne

A Manual of Cheap and Wholesome Diet.. “The aims of the London Vegetarian Society are to advocate the total disuse of the flesh of animals (fish, flesh, and fowl) as food, and to promote a more extensive use of pulse, grains, fruits, nuts, and other products of the vegetable kingdom, thus propagating a principle tending essentially to true civilisation, to universal humaneness, and to the increase of happiness generally.”

London, Paris and Melbourne (1891) 222 pages.

The Better Way on Baking Day. Practical recipes provided for easy, economical, yet dainty backing. “Every recipe has been thoroughly tested and the illustrations are from photographs of products actually made with McAlpin’s Self-Raising flour. (1948) 51 pages.

“The Radiation Cookery Book was first published in 1927 as a companion for the Regulo New World gas cookers. A series of editions were printed and the book was revised and enlarged in 1929, 1930,1934 and 1938. By the time the 45th edition was printed in 1954 well over two million copies had been sold. In April 1955 we published the first edition of the De-luxe Radiation Cookery Book; a complete revision of the previous book with the addition of entirely new sections on food values, beverages, carving, wines, etc. This book is an abridged version of our De-luxe book but it still contains a wide selection of attractive recipes which have been carefully tested under home cooking conditions by the staff of our Radiation Cookery Advice Department….”

From William Say, the family butcher. Everything you want to know about cooking, carving and dismembering an animal. The Australian way.

This is a classic reprint of the 1961 edition of the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Union of Victoria cookbook. It contains many old favorites, still popular in Aussie kitchens today.

Harrow and Heston Classic Reprint

Edited by Colin Heston

This quaint, but very informative book reveals what home life was like in 1940s Australia. The book, faithfully preserved, represents writing at the local level, offering sage advice for housekeepers, handy men and women, whether in the kitchen, the car, the garden or laundry. Given the time, the middle of World War 2, the upbeat advice conveys an aura of hope and earthiness, a truly “get it done” attitude, much needed in time of war.

In the first half of the 20th century, before fast foods (except for fish and chips) appeared in Australia, home cooking, family dinners and cut lunches ruled the day. Mothers spent their time in the kitchen and, except for a brief period during World War II, they stayed there. They inherited recipes from their own mothers, and shared them as well with relatives and friends. Although many of the recipes and cooking practices were typically English, many came from the Irish, the Chinese who tried their luck in the gold fields in the 1850s, and after World War II, from European immigrants, especially Italian and Greek. Pub lunches led the way in the latter part of the 20th century, followed by take-out restaurants, coffee shops, and restaurants of almost any cultural origin. Today in the 21st century, mothers and fathers go out to work, there are ready made meals available in supermarkets, and going out to a pub for lunch or dinner is no big deal. This cookbook revives the old recipes of the past, the simple tastes of the home made meat pie or sausage roll, the wonderful pastries, cookies, slices and cakes that no modern restaurant or bakery can ever match. For those older readers who no longer cook for themselves, this book will help resurrect for your children or grandchildren what home cooking was all about. The true joys of cooking!