Mary Ann Harriet Margaret Hooper (bapt. 24 November 1829 – 8 January 1904) was an English writer known particularly for her

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (food), course (appetize ...

s, besides

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s and

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

Biography

Hooper was born in

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...

, Warwickshire, to Fredrick William Hooper, an art dealer, and his wife Harriet.''1901 England Census'' began her literary career as editor of the household section of ''

Household Words ''Household Words'' was an English weekly magazine edited by Charles Dickens in the 1850s. It took its name from the line in Shakespeare's '' Henry V'': "Familiar in his mouth as household words." History During the planning stages, titles orig ...

'', the mid-nineteenth century magazine edited by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

; the '' Literary Collector'' praised her management of that section and its practical content and added a distinct character to the magazine. In the 1860s and 1870s, she started publishing her own cookbooks, including ''Papers on Cookery'' and ''Handbook for the Breakfast Table''. She was invited to teach cooking classes at the Crystal Palace School of Arts, Science and Literature where eventually she became a professor of

domestic economy Domestic may refer to: In the home * Anything relating to the human home or family ** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication ** A domestic appliance, or home appliance ** A domestic partnership ** Domestic science, sometimes cal ...

. She died in

South Norwood South Norwood is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, Greater London and formerly in the historic county of Surrey. It is located 7.8 miles (12.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross, north of Woodside and ...

, London, aged 74.

Select bibliography

* * * * *''Handbook for the Breakfast Table'' 1873. *''Wives and Housewives: A Story for the Times'' 1875. *''Ways and Tricks of Animals'' 1880. *''Our Dog Prin'' 1880. *''Lily's Letters from the Farm'' 1880. *''Nelson's Home Comforts'' 1882. *''Hints on Cookery'' 1891. *''For Better For Worse'' (date unknown ''Cited in Handbook for the Breakfast Table'' 1873) *''Papers on Cookery'' (date unknown ''Cited in Handbook for the Breakfast Table'' 1873)

References

External links

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Mary Hooper
on ''Mirrormist'' 1829 births 1904 deaths English cookbook writers English women food writers Victorian women writers Victorian writers English children's writers English women novelists 19th-century English women writers 19th-century English novelists People from Leamington Spa {{england-writer-stub