The practical housewife : A complete encyclopædia of domestic economy and…
"The practical housewife" by Robert Kemp Philp is a household manual and domestic encyclopedia written in the mid-19th century. It presents practical guidance for running a British home, blending household management, economy, cookery, and a family medical guide, with an emphasis on the “why” behind tasks. Aimed at housewives, it promotes order, cleanliness, ventilation, and sound budgeting, and offers advice on servants, marketing, table arrangement, and seasonal cookery. The tone is didactic
yet pragmatic, seeking to make home life healthier, more efficient, and more comfortable. The opening of the work sets its purpose and scope: to equip the housewife to guard the home’s health, comfort, and finances through maxims, medical hints, “domestic manipulation,” and a wide range of recipes and tables, while excluding needlework to other volumes. It argues that many girls are trained for accomplishments rather than household skill, urging balanced, practical education and steady, unobtrusive management. Early chapters advise on beginning housekeeping—assessing income, choosing a healthy locality, dealing with landlords, weighing furnished lodgings, thorough cleaning and airing, and furnishing with durable, hygienic choices (iron bedsteads, minimal drapery, block-tin or tinned-iron cookware, caution with copper). They cover plate, cutlery, linens, repurposing old cloths, essential brushes, servant hiring and humane supervision, strict accounts, weekly bill-paying, seasonal bulk purchases, and the value of fresh air, light, early rising, moderate diet, and personal ablution. Practical sections outline marketing sense, selecting fish and meats, cooking vegetables, neat table service, modest well-planned dinners and simple evening gatherings, and conclude with a detailed daily and weekly routine for a single servant to keep the household orderly. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Philp, Robert Kemp, 1819-1882 |
|---|---|
| LoC No. | 45045365 |
| Title | The practical housewife : A complete encyclopædia of domestic economy and family medical guide |
| Edition | New edition, revised and greatly enlarged. |
| Original Publication | London: Houlston & Wright, 1860. |
| Credits | Julia Miller and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | TX: Technology: Home economics |
| Subject | Home economics |
| Subject | Medicine, Popular |
| Subject | Formulas, recipes, etc. |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 78164 |
| Release Date | Mar 10, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 382 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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