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Book Identification & Overview
Title: Fifty-Two Sunday Dinners (or 52 Sunday Dinners)
Author: Mrs. Elizabeth O. Hiller
Original Publication Era: Circa 1913–1915 (Published by The N. K. Fairbank Company, Chicago)
Binding & Cover: Hardcover featuring an oval pictorial cameo of a woman serving a dish, flanked by candlestick sconces and floral garlands.
Historical Context
Written by prominent early-20th-century culinary expert and Chicago domestic science teacher Elizabeth O. Hiller, this cookbook was originally commissioned as a promotional guide for Cottolene (a popular shortening made from cottonseed oil and beef suet). It was structured around balanced, seasonal full-course dinner menus for every Sunday of the year, alongside foundational recipes for soups, roasted meats, breads, and desserts.
Condition & Collector Highlights
Cover & Spine: The pictorial cloth binding exhibits significant shelf wear, edge fraying, surface rubbing, and spine hinge deterioration consistent with early kitchen use.
Text Block & Pages: Pages show natural age toning and edge chipping, though the typography remains legible.
Laid-In Ephemera: The inserted mid-century newspaper recipe clippings, magazine cutouts, and handwritten notes add substantial charm and provenance for vintage kitchenalia collectors.
