Fannie Farmer publishes her first cookbook
- When
- 1896
- Where
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Episodes
- 2
Fannie Farmer, an American culinary expert, published her first cookbook, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, in 1896. Although the publisher initially doubted its commercial success, resulting in a limited first run, the book became a widely used culinary text and the best-selling cookbook of its era.
Episodes
- First Edition Publication
Fannie Farmer's first cookbook was published in 1896 with a limited run due to publisher uncertainty.
- Commercial Success
Despite limited initial print, the book became the best-selling cookbook of the era.
Background and detail
Publication. Little, Brown & Company prepared the first edition of Farmer's cookbook in 1896. The publisher lacked confidence in its sales potential, leading to a limited initial run of only 3,000 copies. Despite these modest beginnings, the book was a thorough and comprehensive reference that gained significant popularity.
Reception. Farmer's 1896 compilation became the best-selling cookbook of the era. Its thoroughness and comprehensiveness ensured its status as a widely used culinary text, with cooks referring to later editions simply as the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. The book remains available in print over 100 years later.
People involved
- Fannie Farmer · Author
- Little, Brown & Company · Publisher
Sources
- Fannie Farmer Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-02
- The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-26
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.