American Cookery

American Cookery, by Amelia Simmons, was the first known cookbook written by an American, published in Hartford, Connecticut in 1796. Until then, the cookbooks printed and used in the Thirteen Colonies were British. Its full title is: American Cookery, or the art of dressing viands, fish, poultry, and vegetables, and the best modes of making pastes, puffs, pies, tarts, puddings, custards, and preserves, and all kinds of cakes, from the imperial plum to plain cake: Adapted to this country, and all grades of life.

This book was quite popular and was printed, reprinted and pirated for 30 years after its first appearance. Only four copies of the first edition are known to exist.

About the author

The only biographical information known about the author is from the cover and title pages of her cookbook that list her as "Amelia Simmons, An American Orphan"; all else is by inference. American Cookery is her only known published work. The preface reads:

This indicates that she probably lacked formal education. Based on other quotes from her preface, she was most likely a domestic laborer. She wrote of "those females who have parents, or brothers, or riches," and how female orphans may be "reduced to the necessity of going into families in the line of domestics."

Amelia

Amelia may refer to:

Given name

Surname

Places

Media

Amelia (film)

Amelia is a 2009 biographical film about the life of Amelia Earhart. The film was directed by Mira Nair and starred Hilary Swank as Earhart and Richard Gere as her husband, George Putnam. The cast list also included Christopher Eccleston and Ewan McGregor. Most of the story is told in flashbacks before ending with Earhart's disappearance. The film was written by Ronald Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan, using research from sources including East to the Dawn by Susan Butler and The Sound of Wings by Mary S. Lovell. The film has garnered predominantly negative reviews.

Plot

On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank) and her navigator, Fred Noonan (Christopher Eccleston), are on the last leg of an around-the-world flight. Moving in vignettes from her early years when Earhart was captivated by the sight of an aircraft flying overhead on the Kansas prairie where she grew up, her life over the preceding decade gradually unfolds. As a young woman, she is recruited by publishing tycoon and eventual husband, George Putnam (Richard Gere) to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean, albeit as a passenger. Taking command of the flight results in a success and she is thrust into the limelight as the most famous woman pilot of her time. Putnam helps Earhart write a book chronicling the flight, much like his earlier triumph with Charles Lindbergh's We. Earhart gradually falls in love with Putnam and they eventually marry, although she enacts a "cruel" pledge as her wedding contract.

Amelia (ship)

The Amelia was a brig of 90 tons and was under the command of Samuel Shaw. The ship departed Sydney, Australia sometime between 8 and 17 January 1816 on its way to Java and Canton, China. It was never heard from again. At the time of its disappearance, Amelia was carrying 50 tons of sandalwood and 5 tons of coal. The number of crew lost is unknown.

References