Which Victorian author wrote the "Book of Household Management"?

The Book of Household Management (1861) contains 2000 recipes and is made up of over 1000 pages of authoritative advice. It has everything from how to treat a cold to what to say during a social call. Thus, many people were very surprised to learn that Isabella Beeton (1836-1865) wrote this book on household management when she was in her early 20s and had virtually no actual personal experience with keeping house.

Beeton's book was aimed at a generation of middle-class women who had not learned household skills from their mothers. New codes of gentility meant that young women in the 1850s were more likely to know how to play the piano and converse in French than they were to bake bread or make clothes for the family.

Also, increased mobility within society meant that young wives frequently lived in different towns or cities from their families. With no one to turn to, these wives needed a book to help them navigate the fresh years of married life, which often presented situations requiring special handling.

For middle-class Victorian ladies, the challenge of managing a household with needy family concerns was made immeasurably easier with Mrs Beeton’s Book. And, the important legacy that Beeton has provided is on-going. Her advice continues to be deeply relevant.

Young brides and others from Europe carried The Book of Household Management to India, America, and Australia. Now, to this day, it is being used in these countries.