Jan and Cora Gordon

A very rare example of a 1928 book just arrived. It was written by my grandmother and is complete with an intriguing piece of cover art by Cecil Beaton, the first copy of the book with this cover I have come across. Doris Ives Smith (1888-1951) was a writer, using the name Catherine Ives. In addition to many magazine articles she wrote two well-known cookery books, of which this one, "When The Cook Is Away," was the first. Cecil Beaton cover of the 1928 first edition of  "When The Cook Is Away" "When The Cook Is Away," published in 1928, was ".. intended to come to the rescue of people whose kitchens have been deprived of their cooks and who know nothing about cooking themselves ." The original design for the book cover, by Cecil Beaton, was auctioned in 2006. After my own heart, wine features as an ingredient in many of the recipes. "Good Meals For Hard Times" was published in 1940, with an emphasis on economy and chee

I had missed the re-release of "There's Death in the Churchyard" on November 22nd 2015 by Black Heath Editions . This makes what was a very rare book much more widely accessible. Their blurb is as follows: " During a particularly eventful village church service, entrepreneur Ponderby Jonson is murdered. With his dying breath, Jonson accuses his host - the local Squire, Captain Stoyner - of killing him. As the evidence against the Squire begins to mount, the Vicar and his family determine to do everything they can to prove his innocence and discover the real culprit. As discreetly as possible, of course... First published in 1934, this is a delightful village murder mystery from the golden age of crime fiction. " Dorothy Sayers’ contemporary review in The Sunday Times can be seen here . She wrote, " I give Mr Gore full marks for atmosphere and entertainment value, with a special distinction for one quaint device which he has worked into the solution.