Fannie Merritt Farmer

Fannie Farmer was born on this day 152 years ago. Her famous cookbook first appeared in 1896. The 12th edition was my father's favorite. That was the last one edited by her daughter Cora, Cora's son, Herbert, and his wife, Wilma Lord Perkins. Sometime during the 1980s he bought himself a copy of the 12th ed. revised, and that turned out to be a mistake. It was the first to be edited by someone outside the family — Marion Cunningham — and it lacked or badly revised his favorite recipes. Unfortunately he had given away his old copy by the time he realized the error.

{The one on bottom left is the one that fooled my Dad.}

{Fannie Farmer; source: a page on famous women at Rice Univ.}

{Marion Cunningham; photo by her publisher}

Fannie Farmer entry in wikipedia