Hi! I'm Jennifer (aka TheMaven). I developed a love of cooking and cookbooks as a kid - my first real "find" was a general cookery book from the late 1800s that cost me a quarter at a local yard sale. I was about ten years old, and I thought it was so cool to make Cottage Pudding with Lemon Hard Sauce from a cookbook older than my great grandmother (thanks for letting me cut loose in the kitchen, mom!)

As I got older, I enjoyed reading all kinds of cookbooks to learn about cooking techniques and social history. I'm especially partial to Betty Crocker, Better Homes and Gardens, vintage appliance manuals, and softcover advertising cookbooks published by food (and other) manufacturers from the early 1900s through the 1950s. After getting seduced by the Mid-Century authenticity of Mad Men, I've also learned to appreciate groovier titles from the 1960s and 1970s.

Cookbooks are about SO much more than food - for many generations, women relied on them for advice on how to run their households, care for sick babies, please their husbands, get their clothes cleaner and squeeze more meals out of a pound of meat. Sometimes the books seemed to come alive, providing comfort during times of war and economic hardship, as when Betty Crocker proclaimed "Hail to the women of America!" in a pep talk about stretching wartime food rations in her 1943 "Your Share" cookbook.

Whether you enjoy the social commentary, the stunning graphic art and retro advertising images or are simply searching for old-fashioned recipes and homey comfort foods, I hope you enjoy your visit to my Vintage Cookbook Maven shop!