The House Servant's Directory
by Roberts, Robert
Published in Boston in 1827, this volume in the American Antiquarian Cookbook Collection is an American milestone—the first book written by an African American and published by a commercial publisher. Author Robert Roberts was butler and majordomo at the country estate of U.S. senator and governor of Massachusetts Christopher Gore. “In order to get through your work in proper time, you should make it your chief study to rise early in the morning; for an hour before the family rises is worth more to you than two after they are up.” These are Robert Roberts’s first words to his readers in this classic resource for those employed as domestic servants. More household-management manual than cookbook, the book does contain recipes for making beer and punch, salad sauce, mustard, currant jam, syrups, and fruit-flavored waters of all kinds. There are directions for carving, marketing, choosing meats, fish and poultry, and preserving, and how to complete household chores successfully, clean everything in the house, behave properly, and prepare and serve food for family dinners and parties of all sizes. The book has suggestions for employers on how to manage domestic help (very unusual for the time), but Roberts was more interested in teaching young black men how to succeed in their work and ensure their advancement.This edition of The House Servant’s Directory was reproduced by permission from the volume in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1812 by Isaiah Thomas, a Revolutionary War patriot and successful printer and publisher, the society is a research library documenting the lives of Americans from the colonial era through 1876. The society collects, preserves, and makes available as complete a record as possible of the printed materials from the early American experience. The cookbook collection comprises approximately 1,100 volumes.
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The house servant's directory : or, A monitor for private families, comprising hints on the arrangement and performance of servants' work ... and upwards of 100 various and useful receipts, chiefly compiled for the use of house servants
by Robert Roberts
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- Used - Good
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- First Edition
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- 1827
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- Hardcover
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Boonsboro, Maryland, USA
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Boston : Munroe and Francis ; New York : C.S. Francis, 1827. First Edition. Hardcover. Good. [First edition of the first commercially published book (and cookbook) written by an African American in the United States.] Housed in a specially made clamshell box. Bound in early 20th century black cloth. Good binding and cover. (i)-xiv, (1)-180pp. 8 pages… Read more about this item Item Price
£6,212.87
The House Servant's Directory: An African American Butler's 1827 Guide (Dover African-American Books)
by Roberts, Robert
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The House Servant's Directory: A Monitor for Private Families (American Antiquarian Cookbook Collection)
by Robert Roberts
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- 2013-10-15
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Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2013-10-15. Hardcover. Used: Good. Item Price
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The House Servant's Directory: An African American Butler's 1827 Guide (Dover African-American Books)
by Robert Roberts
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- 2006-04-21
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The House Servant's Directory: An African American Butler's 1827 Guide (Dover African-American Books)
by Roberts, Robert
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The House Servant's Directory
by Robert Roberts
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Paperback / softback. New. An annotated introduction exploring the contemporary importance of the book "The House Servants Directory", the identity and character of the author, and its significance in American history. Item Price
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The House Servant's Directory: An African American Butler's 1827 Guide (Dover African-American Books)
by Roberts, Robert
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- 2006-04-21
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The House Servant's Directory: A Monitor for Private Families (American Antiquarian Cookbook Collection)
by Roberts, Robert
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- 2013-10-15
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- 9781449431723
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San Diego, California, USA
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Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2013-10-15. Hardcover. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Item Price
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The House Servant's Directory: An African American Butler's 1827 Guide (Dover African-American Books)
by Roberts, Robert
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- 2006-04-20
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Dover Publications, 2006-04-20. paperback. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Item Price
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