Preliminary identification
Photo reference
4 uploaded photos
Overview
This is a classic regional Southern community cookbook featuring a charming cross-stitch sampler design on the cover and spine. Compiled by Eliza Mears Horton and edited by home economists, it represents the rich culinary heritage of South Carolina's peach-growing country. The comb-bound format is typical of beloved local recipe compilations meant to lie flat on a kitchen counter.
Story
Published in South Carolina in 1983, this book captures the soul of Southern peach country. The cover's cross-stitch design was licensed directly from the local Steele family of Sumter, South Carolina. It represents a time when community recipes were shared like family secrets.
Maker / Origin
Eliza Mears Horton compiled this collection of regional recipes, collaborating with home economists Lib Bouknight and Betty Rountree to edit and standardize the dishes. It was printed by Wimmer Brothers, a legendary Memphis-based firm famous for printing thousands of America's most beloved community and junior league cookbooks.
Condition & Value
The book shows light wear consistent with age, including minor yellowing to the cover edges and a vintage price sticker on the back. The plastic comb binding is intact without cracked teeth, which is excellent. Clean interior pages will preserve the higher end of the value range.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
Build on this identification
Layer in sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance.
Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.