Preliminary identification
Photo reference
5 uploaded photos
Overview
A charming regional South Carolina community cookbook celebrating all things peach, compiled by Eliza Mears Horton. The comb-bound volume features faux cross-stitch 'sampler' artwork on its cover and back, complete with a dedicated ISBN and copyright details from 1983.
Story
Published in South Carolina in 1983, this community cookbook went through four printings due to immense local popularity. Its cover art reproduces an authentic needlework sampler design created by the Steele family of Sumter, SC.
Maker / Origin
Eliza Mears Horton compiled and published this volume through At Home Enterprises, working alongside home economists Lib Bouknight and Betty Rountree. Regional printers like Wimmer Brothers specialized in producing these beloved plastic-comb community cookbooks for churches, civic groups, and local authors across the American South.
Condition & Value
Appears to be in very good vintage condition with intact yellow comb binding, minimal page yellowing, and minor corner wear. Good condition maintains full secondary-market value.
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.