This post was co-written by Mahogani Harper, Research Services student assistant.
Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays of the year. A large part of Thanksgiving is the food. From the turkey and stuffing to the mash potatoes and yams, you will never have to worry about being hungry on Thanksgiving. The only problem is that all the food takes a while from trying to buy everything before stores run out to actually making all of that food. Although we can find almost any recipe online nowadays, some of the best meals are those family recipes passed down in books and memory. Here at the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), we have a variety of cook books for the holidays dating from the 19th century to the present day with almost any recipe you could ever want. We have cocktail and wine books that include many fall and winter recipes, dessert books, specific holiday meal books and so much more. Below are just a couple examples of what we have.
Gharib, Malaka, Food Fantasies and How to Execute Them, TX714 .G53 2011, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.
Taylor, Demetria and Gertrude Lynn, Day by Day Cook Book, TX728 .T38, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.
Culinary Arts Institute, The Holiday Cookbook, TX739 .C85 1957, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.
Thanksgiving is not just about food, there is also entertainment. Entertainment can come from a variety of sources. Sports, movies, music, books, dancing, or playing games. SCRC holds a few of these from mysterious stories like Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “John Inglefield’s Thanksgiving” or from songs like the “Hymn of Thanksgiving”.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, The Snow-Image, and Other Twice-Told Tales, PS1872 .S65 1852, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.
Brand, Oscar, Singing Holidays: The Calendar in Folk Song, M1629.3 .A1 B7 1957, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.
To search the collections held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our website and browse the finding aids by subject or title. If you would like to schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions, contact us at speccoll@gmu.edu or call 703- 993- 2220 and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates on events and some of the cool materials we have! Appointments are not necessary to request and view collections.
