Penn in Hand: Selected Manuscripts

The delights for ladys [manuscript] : to adorne there persons beautyes stillyris banquits perfumes [and] wators.

[England], 1655.

79 leaves : paper ; 150 x 75 mm. bound to 142 x 80 mm.

Recipe book, perhaps modelled after Hugh Plat's Delightes for ladies, but this does not appear to contain copies of the recipes in Plat's book. An introductory letter is missing the first leaf, which has been cut out, this letter is signed Jose: Lovett, and the manuscript of Delights for ladys is in Lovett's hand. There is a full table of contents to the Delights for ladys (p. xi). The reverse of this book contains recipes in several hands and is signed "Mabella Powell Her Booke" on the first page. Includes both cooking and medical recipes in both sections.

Gift of Esther Bradford Aresty, 1994.

Powell, Mabella, former owner.

Lovett, Joseph, former owner.

Cooking, English - Early works to 1800.

Traditional medicine - Formulae, receipts, prescriptions - Early works to 1800.

Codices.

Cookbooks.

Recipes.

Manuscripts, English - 17th century.

Manuscripts, European.

Ms. codex.

Title from title page (p. vii).

Pagination: Paper, 79; [xvi], 1-75, [76-142]; contemporary pagination in ink, upper outer corners.

Script: Written in a cursive script by one hand, presumably Joseph Lovett's, with recipes added by at least three additional hands.

Binding: Contemporary leather, with two clasps missing.

Origin: Written in England, 1655 (p. vii).

Described in Theophano, Janet. Household Words: Women Write from and for the Kitchen, an exhibition of materials selected from the Esther B. Aresty Collection of Rare Books on the Culinary Arts (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Van Pelt Library, 1996), p. 16 (No. 20).

UPenn Ms. Codex 627

Rare Book & Manuscript Library University of Pennsylvania Ms. Codex 627