Written by Ellice Handy. Cover design by Tan Yoong Thye and Shirley Lin. Published 1954. Malaya Publishing House Ltd., Singapore.
Ellice Handy was a Singaporean teacher, education administrator and cookbook author. She was born in 1902 and attended the Methodist Girls' School (MGS) as a boarder. She graduated with honors from the Isabella Thoburn College in India and returned to MGS as a teacher in 1922. She became the first Asian principal of MGS in 1945 and rebuilt the school after the war.
In 1952, Handy published My Favourite Recipes, the first Singaporean cookbook with recipes from Indian, Malay, Chinese and Eurasian cuisine. It was a great hit and has been in continuous publication ever since, now considered the bible of Singaporean cuisine. She retired in 1964 and was awarded the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to education. She died in 1989 and was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2015.
Proceeds from sales of this edition, the second printing, helped rebuild the Methodist Girls' School of Singapore following WW II.
Author signed and inscribed, dated March 18, 1956.
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Condition: Very Good. Lacks dust Jacket, as issued. Illustrated cover boards with light blue cloth spine: Light shelf wear; on the front, top right corner bumped; on the back, top left corner bumped; light wear at head and tail of spine. Inscribed by author on front fly leaf. Small closed tear on back fly leaf else pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.
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