The Kenya Settlers Cookery Book and Household Guide

Undated but likely circa 1935 (this is a third edition; the first edition was 1928 and by 1948 the volume was in its 10th edition). Circa 354pp, with illustrated contemporary advertisements and a smattering of drawings in text. In plain printed paper-covered boards. 8vo. In poor condition. Rear board and backstrip absent, front board heavily rubbed, chipped on edges, worn through at rounded corners, stained and discoloured. Binding loosened, with some old, clumsily tape repairs in gutters. Pages toned at edges, spotted. Previous owner’s stamp on contents page. The half title and title pages absent, as well as the last two or three leaves of the index. Rear exposed page stained and damaged at edges. We would not usually offer a book in this condition but this fascinating volume is hard to find, so this copy may serve to fill a gap in a collection; it is perfectly readable for research and interest purposes. Originally compiled by the Church of Scotland’s Women’s Guild in Kenya, the Kenya Settlers Cookery Book and Household Guide aimed to assist ‘newcomers to the Colony, to young or inexperienced housekeepers and to bachelor settlers in Kenya who must often find themselves obliged to put up with incompetency on the part of untrained native cooks or houseboys’. As well as recipes and various contemporary adverts from everything the white settler might need, from Elizabeth Arden face cream to Bovril and local cook shops, it has hints for safari and outdoor cooking, guides to managing servants, cleaning decanters, and using electric cookers, and tips on learning the local language and communicating with non-English speakers.