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William Hill recipe book

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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Nothing is known about William Hill other than that he lived in the United States, possibly in New York in the mid-19th century.

Elisha Starr, who printed and published this "writing book," was a printer, book binder, and stationer working in Le Roy, New York in the 19th century. He was the publisher for The Le Roy Gazette from 1827 through 1832.

Sources:

"The Le Roy Gazette (Le Roy, N.Y.) 1826-1911." The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn83031520/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.

This volume contains 84 handwritten medical, veterinary, and household recipes written and compiled by William Hill in the United States around 1840 through 1884.

The volume itself is a "writing book" printed and distributed by Elisha Starr Printer, Bookbinder and Stationer. It has paper covers with printed advertising for Starr's business. There is an index (p. 39-40), several recipes and clippings laid-in (p. 2-3, 8-9, 24-25), and several blank pages (p. 18-38).

Examples of recipes include for the rheumatism (p. 2), for Hajra Piere (p. 3), for the hypochondriacal pill (p. 4), for epilepsy fits (p. 7), for cancer (p. 9), a pickle for pork hams (p. 12), a powder for female weakness (p. 12), linament for a stiff joint by P. Hollenbre (p. 14), to kill lice on cattle (p. 16), and for debilitated sheep (p. 17).

There are also numerous clippings laid in (p. 24-25) that include recipes and other articles, including one on women's suffrage from 1884, and one regarding the presidents' religious affiliations, ending with James K. Polk.

Sold by Bartleby's Books (Chevy Chase, MD), 2020.

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Finding Aid Author
Kelin Baldridge Smallwood
Finding Aid Date
2024 September 12
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

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William Hill recipe book, circa 1840-1884.
Volume 1

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