Recipes out of Bilibid

New York, George W Stewart, 1946.
Second-hand hardcover

Fowler, Halstead C (collected) & Wagner, Dorothy (comp). Recipes out of Bilibid. [FIRST EDITION] George W Stewart: New York, 1946. 4to (210x155mm) pict dj, red cloth bds x,[2],81,[3]pp. VG/VG dj clipped, spine sunned

FOWLER, Colonel Halstead C [Clotworthy aka 'Chick' (1889 - 1950)] and WAGNER, Dorothy

Recipes out of Bilibid.

New York : George W Stewart, Publisher Inc, 1946. First edition and only edition. Printed by the Cornwall Press, Cornwall, New York.

Quarto (210x155mm) pictorial dust jacket, red cloth boards x,[2],81,[3]pp. Dust jacket clipped, spine sunned and head and tail chipped, small closed tears, lightly soiled; bookseller tickets to front and rear pastedowns "The Personal Book Shop Boston" and "Cooks Books T & M McKirdy".

Bilibid was a civilian prison in central Manila, the Phillipines. During World War II it was converted by the Japanese into a prisoner of war camp with hospital and transit facilities for American and Filipino soldiers. In 1944 British soldiers were transferred to Bilbid from Malaya. Fowler was stationed in Manila as commander of the 71st Field Artillery to defend against the invading Japanese. He was captured in April 1942. The prison was relieved in February 1945 during the Battle of Manila. Eight hundred soldiers and four hundred and fifty civilians were freed; many of them suffering from malnutrition.

Starvation was a constant in the prison camps and food was a constant topic of conversation. After he survived the Bataan death march Fowler began collecting recipes from fellow prisoners of war, writing them on scraps of envelopes. Between May 1942 and February 1945 he collected hundreds of recipes. On return to the USA he turned over a selection to his Aunt who compiled and tested them for this book. The recipes are written in the ingredients/method format, grouped together by cuisine: American, British, Chinese, Filipino, French, Italian, Javanese, Mexican, Polish, Russian, Scandinavian and Swiss. Where an contributor was known, a short biography was included often noting their war service and imprisonment. Notable for the breadth of contributions. There is also a detailed description of rijstaffel.

During his six months of combat Fowler was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross twice and received three Purple Hearts.

Scarce.

§ OCLC records sixty holdings, all but one in the USA; one holding German National Library.

Item #11332

Price: $200.00 AUD

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