James Andrews Beard was an American chef, cookbook author, teacher and television personality. He pioneered television cooking shows, taught at The James Beard Cooking School in New York City and Seaside, Oregon, and lectured widely. He emphasized American cooking, prepared with fresh, wholesome, American ingredients, to a country just becoming aware of its own culinary heritage. Beard taught and mentored generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. He published more than twenty books, and his memory is honored by his foundation's annual James Beard Awards.
Beard signing books at a street fair in Manhattan in 1981
Hors d'oeuvres at the James Beard House, January 2007
A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes.
Eliza Smith's The Compleat Housewife, 1727
Apicius, De re coquinaria, an early collection of Roman recipes
18th Century Recipes for Biscuits from a private collection of recipes
from Modern Cookery for Private Families by Eliza Acton (London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, 1871, p. 48)