Welcome to our site. Here you will find a database of pre-1865 English-language manuscript cookbooks held in U. S. public institutions as well as a database of kitchen artifacts used at the time these manuscripts were written. In compiling these databases (an ongoing project), we aim to give culinary historians, food writers, librarians, museum curators, and others enhanced access to these important, fascinating materials, which too often lie neglected in our libraries, historical sites, and museums.