African American Cookbooks

There are over 200 African American cookbooks in the collection dating from the early 19th century to the present. The earliest is a first edition of Robert Roberts, The House Servant’s Directory (1827), the first cookbook written by a Black American and first book on any subject written by a Black American to have been printed by a commercial publisher. Additionally there are charity cookbooks, Black dialect items, and celebrity cookbooks. The collection is complemented by strong holdings in Caribbean cookery and African cookery.