Martha Lloyd’s Household Book
The Original Manuscript from Jane Austen’s Kitchen
9781851245604
Distributed for Bodleian Library Publishing
Martha Lloyd’s Household Book
The Original Manuscript from Jane Austen’s Kitchen
Peek through the kitchen window to experience day-to-day life at Chawton Cottage, the home where Jane Austen wrote and published her famous novels.
Martha Lloyd first befriended a young Jane Austen in 1789 and later lived with Jane, her sister Cassandra, and their mother at the cottage in Chawton, Hampshire, where Jane wrote and revised her novels. Eventually, Martha married Jane’s brother Francis Austen, making her an authority on day-to-day life in the Austen family.
Martha Lloyd’s Household Book is a remarkable artifact, a manuscript cookbook featuring recipes and remedies handwritten over thirty years. Austen fans will spot the many connections between Martha’s book and Jane Austen’s writing, including dishes such as white soup from Pride and Prejudice. Readers will also learn the author’s favorite foods, such as toasted cheese and mead. The family, culinary, and literary connections detailed in the introductory chapters of this work give a fascinating perspective on the time and manner in which both women lived.
Passed down through the Austen family, the Household Book offers unprecedented access into the family home. In this first facsimile publication, Martha’s notebook is reproduced in color, accompanied by a complete transcription and detailed annotations.
Martha Lloyd first befriended a young Jane Austen in 1789 and later lived with Jane, her sister Cassandra, and their mother at the cottage in Chawton, Hampshire, where Jane wrote and revised her novels. Eventually, Martha married Jane’s brother Francis Austen, making her an authority on day-to-day life in the Austen family.
Martha Lloyd’s Household Book is a remarkable artifact, a manuscript cookbook featuring recipes and remedies handwritten over thirty years. Austen fans will spot the many connections between Martha’s book and Jane Austen’s writing, including dishes such as white soup from Pride and Prejudice. Readers will also learn the author’s favorite foods, such as toasted cheese and mead. The family, culinary, and literary connections detailed in the introductory chapters of this work give a fascinating perspective on the time and manner in which both women lived.
Passed down through the Austen family, the Household Book offers unprecedented access into the family home. In this first facsimile publication, Martha’s notebook is reproduced in color, accompanied by a complete transcription and detailed annotations.
312 pages | 85 color plates | 6 3/4 x 8 3/4

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Table of Contents
Contents
foreword Deirdre Le Faye vii
preface xii
Martha Lloyd in her own light 1
Martha’s household book in historical context 31
Unique details of Martha’s book 42
Making connections to Jane Austen 56
Martha Lloyd’s Household Book 67
Reader’s guide & annotated transcription 69
glossary 150
notes 157
bibliography 163
picture credits 166
index 167
foreword Deirdre Le Faye vii
preface xii
Martha Lloyd in her own light 1
Martha’s household book in historical context 31
Unique details of Martha’s book 42
Making connections to Jane Austen 56
Martha Lloyd’s Household Book 67
Reader’s guide & annotated transcription 69
glossary 150
notes 157
bibliography 163
picture credits 166
index 167
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