[CULINARY MANUSCRIPT] [ARCHIVE] Seven handwritten cookbooks

1930-1970s. Hardcover. This rich collection of handwritten cookbooks reflects Gwendolen's lifelong passion for cooking. The story begins in the 1930s, when Gwen - an educated young woman and primary school teacher - became engaged. Her meticulous handwriting and well-organized notes suggest that she brought the discipline and precision of her teaching career into her culinary pursuits.

Gwendolen and her future husband, Charles O. Dunbar, both attended Westfield High School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She later graduated from the Westfield State Normal School and taught at Fort Meadow School in Westfield, while Charles pursued an academic career as a professor of fruit cultivation and propagation at the University of Connecticut, Pennsylvania State College, and the University of Maryland.

The cookbooks include recipes written in letters to family members, as well as numerous loose and pasted-in additions - ranging from patriotic and economics pamphlets to hand copied recipes attributed to friends, relatives, and even radio programs of the time. Several of the books are homemade or repurposed: one assembled from faux lather boards bound with metal rings and lined paper, anther fashioned from a reused cash book.

The recipes cover a wide range of dishes, including homemade noodles, beefsteak pie, apple dumplings, stews, puddings, custards, soups, chowders, preserves, marmalades, pickles, sandwich fillings, gelatin salads, remedies, and even a formula for baking powder. The collection is carefully indexed, offering a detailed glimpse into Gwendolen's domestic world and culinary imagination.

The handwritten books are all in various conditions. All are complete.