Mrs. Beeton’s Household Management by Isabella Beeton

Mrs. Beeton's Household Management remains one of the most influential domestic guides ever published in the English-speaking world. This substantial Ward, Lock & Co. edition, containing 1680 pages followed by 10 pages of advertisements, is a remarkable survival from the early 20th century and combines practical cookery with an encyclopaedic approach to household life.

Originally compiled by Isabella Beeton in the Victorian era, the work evolved into an essential reference volume for generations of households across Britain and the Commonwealth. Far more than a recipe book, this edition includes sections on household work, servants' duties, etiquette, carving and trussing, laundry work, table decoration, home medicine, nursery care, and even legal advice for the home. Mrs. Beeton's Household Management offers a fascinating snapshot of upper and middle-class domestic life during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods.

This particular edition features 32 colour plates and nearly 700 illustrations, making Mrs. Beeton's Household Management especially desirable to collectors of culinary history, antique domestic manuals, and decorative vintage books. The beautifully embossed spine with gilt titling gives the volume strong shelf appeal, while the thick text block and extensive contents reflect the ambitious scope of the publication.

The absence of a printed date is typical of many Ward, Lock & Co. editions, but based on the binding style, typography, publisher imprint ("London and Melbourne"), and overall production characteristics, this copy likely dates from approximately 19151925.

An excellent addition for collectors of antique cookbooks, historical household manuals, or decorative library pieces, Mrs. Beeton's Household Management continues to be both historically fascinating and visually impressive over a century after publication.

Condition - Very Good 

Plastic covered hardcover in very good condition. Decoratively embossed red spine with gilt titling remains attractive and well preserved beneath the protective covering. Boards are sound with moderate age-related handling wear and some rubbing visible beneath the plastic cover. Text block edges are toned from age. Internally clean and tightly bound overall, with light age-related foxing and toning present. A substantial and well-preserved copy of this classic household and cookery reference work.