BOOKS THAT MATTER

History / Medicine

THE JOHNSON FAMILY TREASURY
A Collection of Household Recipes and Remedies, 1741 - 1848
Edited by Nathalie Cooke and Kathryn Harvey

Preface by Lynette Hunter

​Transcribed by Erin Yanota

Paper • 8 x 10 • ISBN: 978-177244-008-9 • 252 pp. • Price $34.95


A manuscript collection of household information, gathered over the course of a century, reflects a time when “every man was his own doctor.” 


​Written and annotated by several family members, the collection yields fascinating insights in the evolution of thinking about illness, health, and cures during the long eighteenth century.

Transcriptions accompany facsimiles of each receipt, while Nathalie Cooke’s introduction situates the collection within its historical context.

This new edition includes a comprehensive alphabetized index, a table of ailments organized by the frequency of their appearance, as well as a list of medicinal topics organized alphabetically and another list organized by contributor. Carefully researched online appendices place the receipts in the context of contemporary published sources, such as Nicholas Culpeper and Thomas Johnson.