New Cyclopaedia of Domestic Economy: Adapted to All Classes of Society and Comprising Subjects Connected with the Interests of Every Family, and Five Thousand Practical Receipts and Maxims. from the Best English, French, German, and American Sources

Part of the New York literary scene, Elizabeth Fries Ellet was, in her early years as a writer, better known for her historical writings which, unique for the time, tended to concentrate on the ordinary lives of women, rather than more well-known political figures. At the height of her career, Ellet turned her attention to this work of domestic economy, publishing in 1872 The New Cyclopaedia of Domestic Economy. In this work, Ellet provides an American spin on European cooking and domestic practices, with sections on
Laying Out Tables and Folding Napkins,

Culinary Utensils,
and
Cookery as an Art.
Containing practical advice as well as recipes, Ellet claimed to have published, for the first time, several recipes from such famous New York restaurants as Delmonico’s and Taylor’s.