A Cookbook Lover's Guide to |
The Culinary Arts Instituteand Culinary Arts Press1934 through 1939 |
The Culinary Arts Press began as a publishing outlet for material collected by Leonard S. Davidow of Reading, Pennsylvania. By 1938, CAP was issuing eight cookbooks of its own creation. These were:
The cost for each booklet was originally 15c, although the 'Round the World CB cost 25c at first. In 1937, Butterick Publishing sold most of their cooking-related material, including Delineator magazine. Culinary Arts Press acquired the Delineator Cook Book and rights to publish the material contained in the Delineator Service booklets. This quickly made CAP/CAI into one of the largest publishing services devoted to cooking.
1934:
The first printing of the Pennsylvania Dutch CB was not shown as by CAP, but by
was privately published by Davidow. The true first edition is distinguishable
only by its dust jacket, since 1935 printings have the same contents but different
jackets. The dust jacket for the first printing does not mention Culinary Arts
Press, indicating only to send to the (Davidow) address in Reading for more
copies of the cookbook. Some copies have "15 cents" added to the front cover.
From this meager beginning quickly sprang the fastest-growing publishing company
associated with cookery. The name "Culinary Arts Press" was soon chosen, and the
first work published under that name (then in Reading, PA) was an issue of the
Pennsylvania Dutch CB.
This is a copy dated 1934 but actually from 1935 (different inside info on
dust jacket). There is one major problem with many CAP/CAI publications:
the publication date listed inside sometimes
has no bearing on the actual date of printing.
I will describe the early copies in detail. As I mentioned, the first printing
dust jacket mentions only the PA Dutch cookbook. The information in the book
itself is as follows: the book merely says © 1934 Leonard S. Davidow.
The address is given as 14 No. 6th Street in Reading, PA (an address they stopped using in '36),
but the address in the dust jacket is shown as Post Office Box 250 in Reading.
The second printing, from 1935, has the same contents, but the dust jacket
mentions ordering this book and the Southern Cook Book from
"Culinary Arts Press." The address in the dj is the same as for the first
edition. On the back flap of the DJ there is an order form for prints of the
"Dutch Schnitzelbank Song" -- the prints came in two sizes
and could be ordered from Culinary Arts Press.
NOTE: There are many later copies of this book with different covers. The ones actually dating to the 30's originally had dust jackets. The most common of the reissues of this booklet have dates like "1936" inside and feature a single-colored background with the central figure in a large oval on the front cover. These copies were actually issued throughout the 1940's.
With Claire Davidow's name instead of Leonard's, the book was in print at least as late as the mid 70's.
First printing -- see above for description
Second Printing -- same contents and similar dust jacket, but dj lists later book (1935)
Third Printing -- CAP logo and 15c price added in black;
girl's dress in red, and "COOK BOOK" appears below girl -- as in earlier printings (1935-6)
Fourth Printing -- 15c price in black; "COOK BOOK" appears above girl;
girl's dress is green (1936)
Fifth Printing -- oval cover with 15c price on dust jacket (1937)
Other 1930's printing, like this copy dated 1937
Common "oval" printing (1940's)
Later printings -- little collector value, but good recipes!
1935:
With 1935, CAP began publishing cookbooks in earnest, eventually releasing them bimonthly. The second booklet published by CAP was the Southern Cook Book from 1935. Also known as Fine Old Dixie Recipes, the booklet was compiled and edited by Lillie S. Lusting, S. Claire Sondheim, and Sarah Renset -- with decorations by H. Charles Kellum.
THIS is the first printing, available only for a short time in 1935. Shown is the dust jacket, but the cover itself has the same picture. The price inside is 15c, and the only books shown as available are this book and The Pennsylvania Dutch CB. The address shown inside is POB 250 in Reading.
The second printing features an entirely different cover and a 15c price. This reissue
was part of the bimonthly series and was probably issued in May-June 1936, even though
the copyright still says "1935". The stereotyped black family has been
replaced by a white woman serving a turkey.
Click on the listings for photos of the later editions.
First printing -- see above
Second printing (white woman), banner at top
Third printing (white woman, price in black (c. 1936)
Common "oval" printing with 15c price on front cover (c. 1937-38)
Common "oval" printing with 25c price on front cover (c. 1939-40)
More common later "oval" printing without 15c price (1940's)
1936-37:
This is the first edition of the Chinese CB, by M. Sing Au. It is the third in the series of books. I have seen a copy like mine where a Chinese "cash" coin was tied to the hole in the top of the CB by a silken ribbon. The first edition is uncommon. Mr. Au's written introduction dates January, 1936, and the booklet does not bear the 15c price tag on the cover, so this first edition came out before its inclusion in the series. At any rate, Warren G. Troutman provided the illustrations, and the address listed inside is POB 915 in Reading.
The second printing, also from 1936, has a black and red dust jacket. At this time, the book became part of the growing series of CAP books.
Reissues from the late 30's had a 15c price tag and were mostly blue.
The 15c tag was removed c. 1940. The book continued to be reissued and was more
popular in reissue than its 1930's printings.
First printing (yellow cover)
Second printing (15c, red and black dust jacket)
Third printing (15c, blue cover, dust jacket, c. 1937)
No 15c price on front cover (1940's)
Later printings -- 1940's - 1960's (common, but good recipes)
Like its predicessors, this book continued to be reissued throughout the years. Another 30's printing looks much the same but without the 15c price banner on the cover. The 40's "oval cover" reissue, which is common, is usually dated 1936 inside. The New England Cook Book became part of a series of CAI booklets in 1954, where it remained at least through the 60's.
First printing (15c price, white cover, ribbon across top; top information in blue)
Second printing (15c price, white cover, no ribbon; top information
in black, c. 1937-8)
Common "oval" printing with 15c price on front cover (c. 1939-40)
More common "oval" printing without 15c price (1940's)
The next cookbook to be released by the growing company was the Western Cook Book, dated Sept.- Oct. 1936 and labeled "Vol. 1 No. 5." Shown above is the original 15c dust jacket. The interior cover has a green color. The Western CB is also called Western Cookery or Tempting Western Recipes. It was edited by Kay Morrow. Like the others in the series, the booklet has 48 pages. This publication is slightly less common than the ones that preceded it, although the demand is somewhat less.
Later copies were made without the "dust jacket" motif, and after about 1940 the 15c price tag was removed. Some copies exist from 1936 with "Texas Centennial" markings; theoretically these should sell for more than normal copies.
First printing (15c price, green cover + dust jacket)
Second printing (15c price, dust jacket does not list Delineator materials
inside, c.1937-8)
No 15c price on front cover (1940's), no dust jacket
First printing (64pp., blue dust jacket, lists books available)
Second printing (64pp., blue dust jacket with blank interior)
Later printing (48pp., "Around the World CB")
Special printing (48pp., Kalamazoo, MI, 50th anniversary)
First printing (dj has boy climbing into cookie jar)
Second printing (same drawing, no dj, no 15c price)
Third printing, transitional, red cover (c. 1940)
After this time, the book was part of a series.
It was at this time, in early 1937, that Davidow and company purchased the publishing rights to the Delineator cooking materials. The Delineator merged with Pictorial Review in May of 1937, meaning that Butterick was no longer publishing one of their flagship magazines. While the last Butterick issue of the magazine contains no indicators of change, the first combined issue contains statements by the editors of Pictorial Review and by Butterick announcing the change. The editors stated, "With this May 1937 issue PICTORIAL REVIEW adds to its own distinguished name the name of the longest-lived among all women's publications in America: DELINEATOR." For their part, Butterick's full page ad indicates the reason why they sold not only the magazine but probably the service booklets as well: "The Butterick Company ... will concentrate upon the further expansion of its pattern business." The Great Depression may have been responsible for the changes within Butterick. At any rate, this gave Davidow the opportunity to expand.
Value of Box: RARE
Value: RARE
Before leaving the Culinary Arts Press material for 1936-7, we must make note of something that might be staggering to CAP/CAI collectors. 1937 copies of most CAP cookbooklets also list the following books as being available. The numbers and the prices are CAP's.
To date, no copies of any of the above books are known to me, but if they
exist, they are reissues of Butterick/Delineator material, since the
titles appear similar or identical to the Delineator booklets known to me. The 8c books
have fewer pages than their 48 page, fifteen cent, counterparts. In the listing, there
are also books listed numbering 73 through 87 which deal with "Homemaking"; books numbering
90 to 101 dealing with "Beauty"; books about "Entertainment" numbering 110 to 149; books
about "Gardening" numbering 160 through 189; books about "Sub-Deb" (debutante) numbering 200
through 226; books about "Child Training" numbering 230 through 240; books about "Fashions
and Needlecraft" numbering 250 through 282; and books about "Hobbies" numbering 241 through
242 and 283 through 299. Items 300 and 301 are the "Schnitzelbank" posters (which I
mentioned earlier were available in 1935 at least). Items 302 and 303 are
posters of "The world's favorite drinking songs". Items 305 and 306 are "Baggage labels
from hotels and steamers all over the world." Finally, items 308 through 320 are "Handsome
Reproductions of Old Masters for Your Home. Printed on Heavy Paper."
Except for the posters and labels, the booklets mentioned above were all
once part of the Delineator Service series. Again, though, no copies are
known to exist with Davidow/Spencer Press/CAP markings.
All of the items were to be obtained through CAP.
1938:
First printing has no number in upper right hand corner and Culinary Arts blurb at bottom.
Woodbacks: We cannot leave any discussion of the Culinary Arts Press material without talking about the "woodback" editions of their books. Many of the early CAP books (and some 1940-41 CAI books) were available in woodback editions at least through the '60's. These feature normal copies (without prices) of their popular cookbooks bound to wooden outside covers. Some of the earlier ones mention that the wood binding was done by "Three Mountaineers". The dates inside are ALL misleading, although sometimes the style of the book found within can identify when the woodback was made. Again we note that all of the "oval" copies of the CA Press booklets were made c. 1942 and later (at least to 1948) because they list the set of 20 CAI booklets on the back cover. These are also the most common of the series and appear most commonly as woodbacks. HOWEVER, all of these later editions have random copyright dates, as early as 1935, even though they were actually sold later.
Here are a few pictures:
Click here to see a Wood back Candy Book c. 1941-5
Click here to see a Wood back New England Cook Book c. mid 40's
Click here to see a Wood back Southern Cookbook c. 40's
Col. Allen reports that Claire S. Davidow sold the CAP material to Consolidated with the stipulation that she not release any cookbooks herself for the next twenty years. Given the existence of the CAI book dated 1938, it appears that she must have done this late in 1938.
Late in 1938, the Culinary Arts Institute issued its first hardback book.
While some copies list the title the same on the cover as on the interior,
others give the title as World's Best Recipes. In each case, the book
is subtitled "By 500 of the World's Best Cooks." Inside on all copies, the
title is shown as "My Favorite Recipe," with the same subtitle. The
title is appropriate, since over 500 "housewives" each submitted their
favorite recipe for inclusion in the book. S. Claire Sondheim is listed
as the compiler and editor of the book, for as yet CAI had not chosen a
Director. 244pp. Published by Consolidated Book Publishers; printed by
Cuneo Press. The book is scarce.
Note: Col. Allen's notes list this book as having been published by CAP;
My copy mentions only the Institute, and a copy I have seen with the other
title mentions only the Institute.
Consolidated Book Publishers was enlisted to print the CAI material late in 1938. Consolidated already had links to Leonard S. Davidow: in 1937 they had published an edition of Emile Zola's Nana containing a foreword by Davidow and appear to have had an arrangement with his Spencer Press.
1939:
This was an important year in the history of the cookbook publishing company. Ruth Berolzheimer came on board, she being responsible for the Institute's most famous books and booklets. Although Kay Morrow and S. Claire Sondheim had worked extensively on the CAP material, Berolzheimer is listed as the first titled Director. Since some of the CAP material had been taken directly from the Delineator Service booklets, perhaps it was the task of compiling a great deal of all-new material that gave rise to the hiring of a permanent Director for the Institute.
Shown above is the first edition of The American Woman's Cook Book from 1939. This was Berolzheimer's first book as the Director of the Institute. The Butterick material was reprinted almost as-is into the American Woman's CB under the auspices of Berolzheimer. Quickly reprinted, there are many editions and of this book, including various "bindings" made for specific companies (Prudence Penny -- alright, a person; Everywoman magazine; Kenmore (Sears); Readers' Service and certain purposes ("National," "International," "Canadian," and "Victory"). Collecting the book in its various bindings throughout the 1940's can be a pastime all by itself. The "Victory" editions, for example, feature a dedication to General Douglas McArthur. By 1943, the book was a million seller.
First printing (light green cover, 1939 on front page and copyright page)
Later printings (1940, 1941, 1942 (2 printings), 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1962,
1968, 1971, etc.)-- copies from the 60's and later generally
fetch less money at sales.
Victory Binding, with dust jacket and original box.
Some copies list the publisher as "Garden City"; others list "Consolidated".
NOTE: Although the first printing of The American Woman's CB lists the the
date 1939 on both the front page and the copyright page, editions as early as
1940 list the additional date of 1938 on the copyright page. Also, although
the first printing (correctly) lists the copyright dates for The Delineator CB
as 1928 and 1934, later printings say 1927 instead of '28. Apparently
the copyright was changed to reflect the fact that the Delineator CB
is an expansion and revision of the Butterick Book of Recipes and
Household Helps (from 1927). However, quite a few of the sections in
the Helps book had already appeared in 1924's New Butterick CB. Go
figure!
Also in 1939, all of the domestic pamphlets from the CAP series were collected into The United States Regional CB (along with some apparently-new material), which was reissued in 1940 as The Greater American Cookbook and again (as the United States Regional CB) in 1947. This may have been adapted to become the Fifty States CB (1977), which appeared later. A Prudence Penny binding exists of this book.
NOTE: The two books above were bound similarly so that they might be sold together. This was happening by 1940 for certain. For $7.50, both books could be purchased together, in a cardboard binder, as The American Encyclopedia of Cooking and Homemaking.
First printing (light green cover, 1939 on front page and copyright page)
Dust jacket
Second printing (white cover with blue print, 1939 on copyright page only)
Cardboard Housing for American Woman's CB and US Regional CB,
with CAI logo, called The American Encyclopedia of Cooking and Homemaking
Greater American Cookbook, 1940 copyright
1947 printing (new blue and yellow cover, or green cover)
NOTE: The later printings of the US Regional CB have the color photographs in different places in the book, and the credits for these photographs are different.
Click here to read about the Culinary Arts Institute after 1939.
The last revision of this page was on 07 Nv 04.
