OP: The Gay Cookbook
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Bell Publishing Company, New York, 1965. Hardcover. Very Good Minus/Good.
The early 1960s in the United States saw a loosening of obscenity laws which quickly impacted the visibility of queerness both in public spheres and in media. However, the Stonewall riots, which in many ways marked the beginning of gay civil rights movement, had not yet forced the country into a conversation where the community could be regarded as anything other than anathema and aberrant.
With this context in mind, Lou Rand Hogan (1910–1976; pen name for Louis Randall) was quite revolutionary to produce a cookbook, one not only aimed at gay men, but one that also depicted them as happy, domestic, and unabashedly camp. The Gay Cookbook (1965) has since developed a cult following for its significant place in American history—and for its humor.
Some chapter titles include: Soup…That Juicy Stuff; The Shell Game: Oysters, Lobsters, Shrimp, and What to Do With Crabs; and What to Do With a Tough Piece of Meat. Throughout, he addresses his audience generically as “ladies,” or more specifically—Mary, Myrtle, Maude. Illustrator David Costain’s recurring character, a slender man, donning floral aprons and ascots, hip cocked to the side, fortifies the tone. But, to be clear, the recipes are serious and demonstrate a genuine desire to teach and normalize queer domesticity.
Hogan’s start as a cook on cruise ships might explain the range of cuisines and bent for fine cooking. You’ll find homey fare like buttermilk fried chicken, spaghetti, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and shortbread, as well as a showier type like trout meunière, Spanish hare pie, and flambéed desserts. Helpful, if not cheeky, advice on techniques and ingredients abounds.
It is with great pleasure that we offer a copy of this scarce, iconoclastic book. Originally published by a small California press, Sherbourn, it was taken over by Bell during the same year of publication. Ours is the first Bell printing, in Very Good Minus condition. The block is clean, save for a couple of splatters to the fore edge. The case is sun bleached, particularly at the foot of the spine. The illustrated jacket, printed on fairly flimsy stock, is heavily chipped and bears some soiling. The jacket spine is also lightly faded.
