Gift Guide 2018: A Taste of the Past

The most fun I’ve had lately is trolling through Lizz Young’s new website.  Ms. Young has just set up shop in Brooklyn, selling a wide range of cookbooks, manuscripts, menus, advertising cards….. If it has to do with food, she’s interested.

For food historians the most fascinating offering is the MFK Fisher archive.  This amazing trove, which included books, letters, bills, contracts and the like is selling for $225,000, but you can look through the offerings on the site. It gives you an interesting insight into Fisher’s life. 

I spent three days with Mary Frances at the end of her life, going in and out of her bedroom when she grew too tired to talk.  I looked through her books, drawings and cookbooks, but I always wondered what was in those desk drawers and the boxes beneath the bed.  And now, here it all is.

If you're looking for a thoughtful gift for someone who's interested in food, Lizz Young is sure to have something. There are great old menus...

Strange cookbooks:

and wonderful ephemera:

There is also this extremely moving reminder of a terrible time. Even after all this time, just looking at the cover made me burst into tears.