Elizabeth Strong Worthington

Elizabeth Strong Worthington was an American writer born on October 5, 1851, and she wrote during the later decades of the 19th century. Her first books, When Peggy Smiled: A Love Story and The Biddy Club, appeared in 1888, introducing a lively, readable style that would carry through the rest of her work.

She is most often remembered for humorous, sharply titled books such as How to Cook Husbands and The Gentle Art of Cooking Wives. Those works used domestic language and social comedy to entertain readers while gently poking at expectations around marriage and home life.

Worthington died on October 2, 1916. Reliable biographical information about her is fairly limited, but her books have lasted because of their light touch, curiosity about human relationships, and unmistakable sense of fun.