Gift for Young Hostesses or Means to Reduce Household Expenses

The first edition of this amazing book was presented to readers back in 1861. And it began... “One of the most read books in the 19th century,” “the culinary bible,” “the culinary bestseller” — all these definitions refer to the work of Smolny graduate Elena Molokhovets, who seemed to know everything about exemplary housekeeping and economy. By the way, before the revolution, the author’s book underwent more than 30 editions with a total print run of about 500,000 copies, and it is worth noting the observation of Yevgeny Zamyatin that “in emigration — there are two most popular authors: in the first place is Elena Molokhovets, in the second — Pushkin.” This book is not only a manual containing more than four thousand various culinary tips, recipes, and secrets that allows one to become an amazing hostess but also an encyclopedia of 19th-century life. Molokhovets reads like a novel about a complex, interesting way of life and a novel about a lost past.