Chinese Recipes" -- First Cookbook Published in English by Chinese Woman in America

New York, New York: The American Rehabilitation Committee Inc, 1927. Fair. Light dust soiling, short tears/chipping, large tear with loss to upper wrapper.. First edition of a printed recipe book by Nellie Choy Wong (1893-1930s), the first Chinese woman to become a pharmacist in the United States, and to publish a cookbook in English in America. What makes this cookbook so clever is the way in which Choy has designed it: soft, tactile paper and a binding incorporating metal medallions evokes an exoticized "Far-Eastern" feel to 1920s Americans who, at that time, would have had little contact with anything "Chinese". Includes a brief explanatory. notes (truncated) section discussing common ingredients used in Chinese cuisine, and where they can be bought in New York. The book includes twenty-eight printed recipes ranging from Tea to "Shrimp Straws", boiled pork, cabbage rolls, almond chow mein, and "Wang Shih". Western measures are used (e.g. cups, teaspoons). A fascinating example of "East Meets West" and two cultures meeting, as well as women's history. Single vol. (8" by 5.75"), pp. [4], 27, [1], in original orange decorated paper wrappers bound at left-hand edge with cord and metal medallions. (Inventory #: 23014951)