ſugar and ſpice and everything…not so nice? (opens in new tab)

Tucked into this copy of American Cookery (1796), often cited as the first American cookbook, is an unexpected and rather scandalous insert. Labeled simply “ADVERTISEMENT,” this errata sheet lays bare a bitter dispute between the book’s author, Amelia Simmons, and the person hired to help prepare her manuscript for print. An errata sheet usually offered …