A Lady [Martha Bortherton] — Vegetable Cookery; with an Introduction, Recommending Abstinence from Animal Food and Intoxicating Liquors

London, Effingham Wilson, 1833. Leather. The fourth edition of this formative work in the history of vegetarian literature, written anonymously by Martha Brotherton. A very scarce early copy. The fourth edition of this important vegetarian cookbook, considered the earliest known published cookbook to advocate a meat-free diet. Very scarce early edition. Bound in contemporary half calf, with red morocco spine label. Lacking engraved title page. Vegetable Cookery consists of ovo-lacto vegetarian recipes and was intended to support the dietary practices of the church. It was revised and republished in several editions throughout the 19th century and has been recognised as a foundational text in the history of vegetarianism.The chief work of English cookbook writer Martha Brotherton, though published anonymously. Comprising recipes such as pea soup, bread sauce, Suffolk dumplings, rice cheesecakes, Bath buns, lemon pickle and quince pudding, as well as recipes for home remedies for burns, sprains, to clean carpets, polishing paste, to purify water &c. Bound in contemporary half calf, with red morocco spine label. Externally, quite rubbed, and scuffed to the boards, though hinges and joints remain firm. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are generally bright and clean, with occasional scattered spotting. Overall, quite bright considering its age and use. Good . Ill.: None. Good .