OP: The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook
Book-of-the-Month Club, 1995. Very Good Plus in like jacket.
Molly Goldberg was, in fact, the actress Gertrude Berg (née Tillie Edelstein [1899–1966]), who wrote, produced, and starred in a wildly popular radio and, later, television household comedy series—among the most successful in broadcast history.
Centered on the Goldberg family and their neighbors—Jewish Americans with one foot in the old world and the other very much in the new—the program charmed audiences with its evocations of the melting pot in mid-course. Not surprisingly, a significant portion of each show took place in the kitchen or at the dining table, where the plots developed in conjunction with a comforting array of sturdy foods from the traditional repertoire.
There was little doubt that a cookbook would emerge from this environment, and in 1955 Berg, along with the prolific food writer Myra Waldo, brought out this light-hearted, beloved Jewish cookbook. From holishkes (stuffed peppers), and chicken soup with matzo balls, to fermented Passover borscht and cheese strudel, a host of delights.
Ours is a Very Good Plus example of the 1995 Book-of-the-Month Club edition. We’d call the book block and case Fine, save for a bump and stain to the bottom of the spine, which also mars the jacket, otherwise clean and intact. Delightful line illustrations by Susanne Suba.