1,000 Ways of Getting Rich -- From the Experts of 1890

I just listed a terrific antique book published in 1890 for sale in my Etsy shop. It is actually two books in one: The Compendium of Cookery and Reliable Recipes and The Book of Knowledge, or 1,000 Ways of Getting Rich.

The treasured recipes and tips within these two books will have you howling, both with delight and incredulity. Of course, 119 years ago, this volume was published in all seriousness. And . . . many of the tips are very user-friendly for us today. Great-great-grandmother would be considered to be very green in how she followed the old addage, "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" in following the advise within its pages.


Here are some of the more humorous selections:

"To Sweeten Meat: A little charcoal thrown into the pot will sweeten meat that is a little old. Not if is in anyway tainted -- then it is then not fit to eat -- but only if kept a little longer than makes it quite fresh."

"Moths in Carpets: Persons troubled with carpet moths may get rid of them by scrubbing the floor with strong hot salt and water before laying the carpet, and sprinkling the carpet with salt once a week before sweeping."

"A Good Wash for Hair: One pennyworth of borax, half a pint of olive-oil, one pint of boiling water. Mode: Pour the boiling water over the borax and oil; let it cool; then put the mixture into a bottle. Shake it before using, and apply it with a flannel. Camphor and borax, dissolved in boiling water and left to cool, make a very good wash for the hair; as also does rosemary water mixed with a little borax. After using any of these washes, when the hair becomes thoroughly dry, a little pomatum or oil should be rubbed in, to make it smooth and glossy."


On the practical side, there are some wonderful recipes -- for everything from making wine and simple sauces to making candy and taffy. The selections on canning and preserving make this book worth its weight in gold! The Book of Knowledge section gives hints and tips on everything from making your own ink, to a cement you can make to mend broken china. Here's a tip for removing indelible ink stains (very green indeed):

"Soak the stained spot in strong salt water, then wash it with ammonia. Salt changes the nitrate of silver into chloride of silver, and ammonia dissolves the chloride."

Poetry in Spring!

I promised I would share the vintage poem I have incorporated in my latest miniature altered crazy quilt book. The book is now finished! I am really pleased with how it turned out. I wish I was better at this blogging business so I could post all the pictures I took, but I am just going to share the one that shows best how the little book looks with all it's fringe and ties. I have decided to go ahead and put it on Ebay -- which I will do later in the day today. You can see 14 different views of the book there, if you want to check it out in detail. (Just follow the link to my Ebay items under the section "A little More About My Passion" on the left side of the blog.) I plan to post it there soon!

Here's the poem (author unknown, but in my 1899 book, Excelsior Writer and Speaker, listed under the children's recitations section).

The Bird's Picnic

"The birds gave a picnic, the morning was fine,

They all came in couples, to chat and to dine;

Miss Robin, Miss Wren and the two Misses Jay,

Were dressed in a manner decidedly gay.

"And Bluebird, who looks like a handful of sky,

Dropped in with her spouse as the morning wore by;

The yellow-birds, too, wee bundles of sun,

With brave chickadees, came along for the fun.

Miss Phoebe was there, in her prim suit of brown;

In fact, all the birds in the fair leafy town.

The neighbors, of course, were politely invited;

Not even the ants and the crickets were slighted.

The grasshoppers came, some in gray, some in green,

And covered with dust, hardly fit to be seen:

Miss Miller flew in, with her gown white as milk;

And Lady Bug flourished a new crimson silk.

The bees turned out lively, the young and the old,

And proud as could be, in their spencers of gold;

But Miss Caterpillar, how funny of her,

She hurried along in her mantle of fur.

There were big bugs in plenty, and gnats great and small --

A very hard matter to mention them all.

And what did they do? Why, they sported and sang,

Till all the green wood with their melody rang.

Whoe'er gave a picnic to grand and so gay?

They hadn't a shower, I'm happy to say.

And when the sun fell, like a cherry-ripe red,

The fire-flies lighted them all home to bed."

A Mother's Legacy

I'm a mother of 6 sons. Tell me where they give out awards for perseverance as a mother? I would love to apply! Actually, I do believe I will get rewarded one day -- by my heavenly Father -- for the job I have done and am continuing to do. But, in the meantime, where are all the odes to motherhood there once were in previous generations? I have over 200 vintage books and magazines from the 1800s in my collection. One of the most profound things I see there is the celebration of mothers. In fact, I have an entire book -- three inches thick -- just filled with poetry, prose and pictures celebrating motherhood. They have truly inspired me. Just this week, I completed a fabrid crazy quilt mini book (ACEO size - 2.5" x 3.5") celebrating motherhood. I wish there was a way to duplicate the effort -- but this one is truly one of a kind. I just put it up for bid on ebay today. I am really excited about how it turned out. There are 8 pages, not including the cover front and back. My ebay ad shows all the pages, but here is the front of the book. Tell me what you think!