author
Hannah Mary (Bouvier) Peterson
A 19th-century American writer who moved easily between the kitchen and the stars, she produced practical cookbooks as well as popular science writing on astronomy. Much of her work appeared anonymously or under her maiden name, which has helped keep her story surprisingly little-known.
1 Audiobook
The National Cook Book, 9th ed.
by Hannah Mary (Bouvier) Peterson
About the author
Born in Philadelphia in 1811, Hannah Mary Bouvier Peterson came from a prominent Quaker family and was the daughter of jurist and legal writer John Bouvier. She became an American author known for writing both household guides and science books, an unusual and impressive range for her time.
Her best-known books include The National Cook Book, The Young Wife’s Cook Book, and Bouvier’s Familiar Astronomy. The cooking books are remembered for their practical, direct style, while her astronomy writing aimed to make the study of the heavens accessible to students, families, and general readers.
Peterson died on September 4, 1870. Although she is not as widely read today as some of her contemporaries, her work shows a striking blend of everyday usefulness and curiosity about the wider world.