A recipe booklet entitled "Pastry & Sweets for the Dinner and Supper Tables. Practical Hints on their Preparation", published by Alfred Bird & Sons, Ltd, Birmingham; 23rd edition, c.1910. This 72-page (plus covers) booklet, which measures approximately 12.6 x 18.5cm, contains 116 recipes involving the use of Bird's preparations including Custard Powder, Crystal Jelly Powder and Pudding Powder; the recipes include such delights as Royal Pancakes, Hydropathic Pudding and Comical Fritters! There is a full-page pictorial advertisement for Bird's Custard Powder on the second page, whilst the inside back cover lists various expeditions which were supplied with foodstuffs by Alfred Bird & Sons, including Captain Scott's first voyage to the Antarctic with the Discovery (1900-4). The cover shows considerable age wear including discoloration, tearing, creasing and staining, and the original owner's name is written in ink to the top right. The staples have rusted away, leaving the pages loose; the pages themselves have some discoloration, creasing, bumping and slight marking. Nevertheless, with its quaint use of language (see photo of back cover, for instance), this remains a delightful period piece!
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