You know, eBay has become a great resource during this Covid mess. If you are lucky, and someone is looking to let loose of some old cookbooks, you can find some really great ones.
There was an evening when I was reading about Beth Tartan. A lot of people know that name from her cookbook, North Carolina and Old Salem Cookery. But Beth Tartan was her pen name. Her real name was Elizabeth Hedgecock Sparks.
The article was quoting her daughter and how she loved brunch. I’m a fan of brunch but I also liked the idea that a young female journalist—from North Carolina—had such a successful writing career. That spurred me to look online for other books she wrote. I found The Good Ole Days Cookbook, The Successful Hostess and Menu Maker and Party Planner.
I ended up getting all three of them! It took a while for them to all get here…but here they are:
The Good Old Days Cookbook was listed in "good" condition...but the rips and tears to the cover tell me a different story.
The Successful Hostess as written when she was still a single gal. She’s listed as Elizabeth Stuart Hedgecock.
And unfortunately, Menu Maker and Party Planner was previously owned by a heavy, heavy smoker. It pretty much lives inside the padded envelope it arrived in tucked inside not one, but two Ziploc bags!
My copies of NC & Old Salem Cookery and Beth Tartan’s Cookbook are all housed in a bookcase just for special North Carolina cookbooks. After my Sparks spree, I think I may need to clear out a space dedicated to just Elizabeth Hedgecock Sparks!