author
Mary Florence Hodge
Best known today for co-authoring the charming 1911 classic A Little Girl’s Cookery Book, this elusive writer helped create an early cookbook that invited young readers into the kitchen with warmth and confidence.
1 Audiobook
A little girl's cookery book
by Caroline French Benton, Mary Florence Hodge
About the author
Mary Florence Hodge is a little-documented author whose surviving public record is remarkably slim. The clearest confirmed credit is as co-author, with Caroline French Benton, of A Little Girl’s Cookery Book, originally published in the United Kingdom by Mills & Boon, Limited, in 1911.
The book stands out as an early children’s cookbook, offering simple, approachable recipes and encouraging young readers to learn by doing. Its lasting appeal is clear from its continued circulation in library catalogs, bookseller listings, and modern digital editions, including Project Gutenberg.
Because reliable biographical information about her life has been hard to confirm, it is safest to remember her through the work itself: a practical, friendly guide that helped make cooking feel possible and inviting for beginners.