Finding Primary Sources

Here is a long list of freely accessible cookbooks from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

Scott's Seasonal Cook Book 1921

Slade's Cooking School 1920

Mrs. Norton's Cook Book 1917

The Malone Cook Book 1917

Book of Cookery Fannie Farmer 1915

Larkin Housewives' Cook Book 1915

Mrs. Wilson's Cook Book 1914

Hamilton's Recipes 1909

Rumford Complete Cookbook 1908

Harland's Complete Cook Book 1906

Chase's Cook Book 1906

Mrs. Snow's Cook Book 1903

Mrs. Clarke's Cook Book 1899

Hood's Practical Cook's Book 1897

Aunt Babette's Cook Book 1889

Parloa's Kitchen Companion 1887

Mrs. Shillaber's Cook Book 1887

Alden-Adams Cook Book 1885

Harder's American Cookery 1885

Margaret Sim's Cookery 1883

Parloa New Cook Book 1880

Jennie June's Cookery 1878

Putnam's Receipt Book 1876

Beecher's Domestic Receipts 1871

Elliot's Practical Cookery 1870

 

Free French Cuisine Cook Books

The French Cook 1902

Seely's French & US Cook 1902

The Cuisine 1872

Royal Cookery Book 1869

Hand-Book of Practical Cookery 1867

Treasury of French Cookery 1866

The Young Cook's Guide 1836

Art of French Cookery 1827

 

Free Italian Food Cookbooks

Italian Recipes... 1905

The Italian Cook Book 1919

From Our Tuscan Kitchen 1903

 

Free Chinese Food Cook Books

The Chinese Cook Book 1917

Chinese & English Cook Book 1913

Anglo-Chinese Cook Book 1916

 

Free Mexican Food Cookbooks

101 Mexican Dishes 1906

 

Free German Food Cook Books

German Cookery 1906

 

Free English Cookery Books

Surrey Garden Pot-Pourri 1898

London Compete Cookery 1797

 

Free Beginner's Cookbooks

Elementary Cooking 1912

Cookery for Beginners 1884

A Primary Cook Book 1862

 

Free Online Entrée Cook Books

Entrées 1901

The Book of Entrées 1911

The Book of Entrées 1886

The Something-Different Dish 1915

 

Free Online Dinner Cookbooks

Everyday Dinners 1911

52 Sunday Dinners 1915

For DinnerFannie Farmer 1905

The Dinner Year-book 1878

Sunday Night Suppers 1907

 

Free Meat Cookbooks

Meats, Poultry & Game 1919

Method of Roasting Beef 1907

Meats & Game 1902

Hotel Meat Cooking 1901

Dressed Game & Poultry 1888

Fish, Flesh, and Fowl 1877

 

Free Fish Cookbooks

How To Cook Fish 1908

Fish 1903

Oysters & Fish 1888

Guide to the Fish Market 1843

 

Free Leftover Cook Books

Cook Book of Left-Overs 1920

Left Overs 1898

200 Ways of Using Remnants 1883

A Book of Réchauffés 1865

 

Free Sandwich & Salad Cookbooks

Salads, Sandwiches... 1916

Salads, Sandwiches, Beverages 1915

Sandwiches 1912

Salads, Sandwiches... 1905

Up-to-Date Sandwich Book 1909

Salads, Sandwiches & Dainties 1899

 

Free Salad Cookbooks

Florida Salads 1918

One Hundred Salads 1914

200 Recipes for Salads 1910

One Thousand Salads 1909

Salads & Chafing Dishes 1906

American Salad Book 1900

New Salads 1897

Desserts & Salads 1896

Fifty Salads 1885

Salads & Sauces 1884<

 

Free Soup Cook Books

Soups 1904

Soups & Dressed Fish 1888

 

Free Vegetable Cookbooks

Byron's Vegetable Book 1916

How to Cook Vegetables 1909

Vegetables1902

How to Cook Vegetables1890

Dressed Vegetables 1888

Vegetable Cookery 1866

 

Free Dessert Cookbooks

Desserts for 100 1918

Sunny Side Dessert Book 1893

Everyday Desserts 1911

The Dessert Book 1872

 

Cake, Ice Cream & Ices Books

Breads, Cakes, Pastries, Ices... 1907

Ices 1899

Green's Cakes & Ice Creams 1894

 

Free Bread & Baking Books

Bread Facts 1920

Baker's Bread 1918

Baker's Review Apr 1916

Flour, Yeast... Baking 1915

The Story of Bread 1913

The History of Bread 1904

The Baker's Book 1902

Dietetic Value of Bread 1892

Healthy Mfg of Bread 1884

Report on Vienna Bread 1875

Art of Bread-Making 1805

 

Free Pastry, Cake & Cookie Books

Home Bakings 1912

Bread, Cakes & Biscuits 1906

365 Cakes & Cookies 1904

Puddings & Pastry 1889

American Pastry Cook 1894

Cake & Bread Baker 1884

Pastry, Cakes, Sweetmeats 1834

 

Free Fruit Cookbooks

Fruits & Their Cookery 1921

365 Orange Recipes 1909

Fruit Recipes 1907

Fruits & How to Use Them< 1889

 

Free Anglo-American Cookbooks

How to Prepare It 1922

The Aunt's Cook Book 1922

Modern Club Recipes 1921

Good Housekeeping's Recipes 1920

Good Food, How to Prepare 1920

School & Home Cooking 1920

Lessons in Cookery 1919

Nyal Cook Book 1916

 

Free US Regional Cook Books Boston Cook Book Fannie Farmer 1906 Lincoln's Boston Cook Book What We Cook on Cape Cod 1911 What Salem Dames Cooked 1910 North Adams Cook Book 1905 New Bedford Receipt Book 1870 Kimball Class Cook MA 1913 Home Department Cook MA 1907 Tested Recipes MA 1908 Milton Cook Book MA 1918 Neighborhood Club CB MA 1912 LW Cook Book MA 1908 Wellesley Cook Book 1890 Delectable Recipes ME 1898 Resolute Grange Cook ME 1913 Oak Lawn Grange Cook Book RI 1914 King's Daughters Cook... NH 1903 Memphremagog Cook Book VT 1907 Vermont Cookery 1899 Vermont Cookery Craft 1894 Westford Cook Book VT 1909 Excelsior Cook Book VT 1891 New England Cook Book 1912 Philadelphia Cook Book 1886 Cumberland Valley Cook PA 1881 Housekeeper's Recipes PA 1893 King's Highway Cook CT 1894 Stonington Cook Book CT 1911 Palisades Cook Book 1910 New York Cook Book 1889 Pleasantville Cook... NY 1894 Buffalo Cookery 1916 Altrurian Cook NY 1910 Mohawk Valley NY Cook Book 1889 Feast of Good Things MI 1910 Battle Creek Cook Book 1922 Buckeye Cookery 1877 Illinois Cook Book 1881 Good Living & How IA 1905 Lex Cen Coll Cook MO 1919 Practical Cook NE 1892 How We Cook in Colorado 1907 Rocky Mountain Cook Book 1918 Philalethean Cook Book CO 1921 Castelar Crèche Cook Book CA 1922 Receipts of Pasadena 1914 Oakland Cook Book 1905 Portland W.E. Cook Book OR 1913 Seattle Cook Book 1906 50 Years in a Maryland Kitchen 1881 Southern Recipes 1913 Old South Dishes & Beverages 1913 Virginia Cookery Book 1912 The Virginia Methodical Cook 1838 Kentucky Receipt Book 1903 Blue Grass Cook Book 1881 Carlisle's Kentucky Cook Book 1893 Caroline's Dixieland Recipes 1922 Dixie Cook-Book 1883 Macon Cook Book GA 1909 Delta Cook Book MS 1917 Picayune Creole Cook Book 1922 La Cuisine Créole 1901 Creole Cookery Book 1885	Free Low Budget Cookbooks Practical Cookery 1920 War-Time Breads & Cakes 1918 War Bread 1918 Everyday Foods in War Time 1918 275 War-Time Recipes 1918 Wheatless & Meatless 1918 ME's War Time Recipes 1918 War Time Cook Book 1918 Economical Cookery 1918 Liberty Recipes 1918 Recipes for War Time 1917 Practical Food Economy 1917 Meals for Less Money 1917 Economical Recipes 1917 Low Cost Cooking 1915 The Efficient Kitchen 1914 Economy Cook Book 1910 Practical Cook Book 1910 Economic Cooking 1890 Liberal Living, Narrow Means 1890 Practical Cooking 1889 Nice Dish, Moderate Expense 1864 Practical American Cookery 1860 The Practical Cook 1845
Free Institutional Cook Books US Army Baker's Manual 1917 US Army Cooks Manual 1910 Institution Recipes 1912 Recipes & Menus for 50 1913 More Recipes for 50 1918 Catering & Food Service Mgmt 1922	Free Milk, Butter & Cheese Books Milk overview 1921 Milk in the Home 1915 Milk & Its Products 1913 Milk: Nature & Composition 1895 Henri Nestlé's Milk Food 1881 The Butter Industry 1920 The Book of Butter 1918 US Butter Industry 1916 How to Make Butter 1915 Practice of Butter-Making 1908 Scientific Butter-Making 1883 Butter Analysis 1877 The Book of Cheese 1918 Science of Cheese-Making 1909 Cheese & Cheese-Making 1896
Free Beverage Books Beverages 1919 Essence Industry Manual 1916 Beverages of Colonial Virginia 1906 Soda & Beverage Manual 1897 Foods & Beverages 1891 US & Other Drinks 1878	Free Vegetarian Cookbooks Mrs. Allen's Meat Substitutes 1918 Hygenic Cook Book vegetarian 1914 600 Meatless Dishes 1910 New Vegetarian Dishes 1892
Free Breakfast-Lunch Cook Books Dictionary of Dainty Breakfasts 1899 Breakfast Table Handbook 1873 Breakfast & Lunch Dishes 1904 Breakfast & Luncheon 1893 Breakfast, Lunch & Tea 1875 Gala-Day Luncheons 1901	Other Free Books About Food Food: Fuel for Human Engine 1917 Food for the Worker 1917 Food Production & Mfg 1914 Mfg of Foods & Sweetmeats 1902 Foods & Cookery Lab Man. 1916 Fruits & Products Chemistry 1905 Flesh Foods Analysis 1900 I Go a-Marketing 1900 Food & Feeding 1899 Edible Mushrooms 1899 Eggs in Cold Storage 1899 Chemistry of Breadmaking 1912 Bread Analysis 1881
Other Topical Free Cook Books Dainty Making 1910 American Dainties 1897 Dainties 1894 The Chafing-Dish 1912 Chafing Dish... Fannie Farmer 1898 100 Chafing Dish Recipes 1894 Chafing Dish Guide 1890 Catering for Two 1898 Us Two Cook Book 1909 À la Mode Cookery 1902 Savouries à la Mode 1887 The Baby's Food 1917 Hot Weather Dishes 1888