In 1931, a St. Louis widow named Irma von Starkloff Rombauer took her life savings and self-published a book called The Joy of Cooking. Her daughter, Marion, tested recipes and made the illustrations, and they sold their mother-daughter project from Irma's apartment.
a little too hoity-toity for me (this coming from someone who is relatively/read, EXTREMELY low maintenance about just about EVERYTHING). I did get some interesting little tidbits out of the book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I can imagine how it would come in handy for others who are into cooking though.