Archer, J. E. (2010). Women and Chymistry in Early Modern England: The Manuscript Receipt Book (c. 1616) of Sarah Wigges. In Gender and scientific discourse in early modern culture (pp. 191–216). Ashgate Publishing Company.

Though this article heavily focuses on a woman's role as an at-home alchemist and the chemistry practiced in her kitchen, it details their process of developing manuscript recipe books to document their recipes and progress. Using a particular book from the Wellcome Collection in London, the evolution and recording of knowledge are explored.

DiMeo, M., & Pennell, S. (Eds.). (2018). Reading and writing recipe books, 1550–1800. Manchester University Press.

This title has not yet been reviewed as access to a copy is limited. The cost of purchasing a copy is $100+ and copies are not available for reference in most libraries or as an eBook. Based on references by reputable institutions, this is a very useful title in understanding contemporary scholarship on Early Modern recipe books.

LeJacq, S. S. (2013). Roy Porter Student Prize Essay The Bounds of Domestic Healing: Medical Recipes, Storytelling and Surgery in Early Modern England. Social History of Medicine, 26(3), 451–468.

This essay positions recipe books as evidence of health-seeking behavior and leads a valuable discussion regarding their place in the medical writing genre. A more formal medical perspective provides insight into the types of ailments addressed in these books, the severity of the treatments detailed in recipes, and the successes and failures of such treatments.

Leong, E. (2013). Collecting Knowledge for the Family: Recipes, Gender and Practical Knowledge in the Early Modern English Household. Centaurus: International Magazine of the History of Science and Medicine, 55(2), 81–103.

This article very thoroughly addresses the process of handing down recipe books through generations. There is an in-depth discussion of how this practice of passing down recipe books through generations affects knowledge creation, citing primary sources as supporting evidence. The gendering of household knowledge is also discussed to a degree not seen in other scholarship.

Leong, E. (2014). “Herbals she peruseth”: reading medicine in early modern England. Renaissance Studies, 28(4), 556–578.

Using primary sources as evidence, this article considers the Early Modern woman's role as a healer and reader of medicine. More detailed information about knowledge organization is addressed, such as the practice of making lists and abstracts to synthesize ingredient knowledge.

Leong, E. (2018). Recipes and Everyday Knowledge: Medicine, Science, and the Household in Early Modern England. The University of Chicago Press.

'Recipes and Everyday Knowledge' is especially helpful on two counts: cultural context and language accessibility. This book provides information on the social climate that fostered the growth of recipe books while also addressing elements like print culture and household management. While rich with information, it is not pedantic and reads in a way that is quite approachable.

Shanahan, M. (2015). Manuscript Recipe Books as Archaeological Objects: Text and Food in the Early Modern World. Lexington Books.

Originally written as a dissertation for a doctoral program 'Manuscript Recipe Books as Archaeological Objects' is more formal and dense than most readers may be used to. However, the archaeological perspective is invaluable as Shanahan discusses the material culture of the Early Modern kitchen, the culinary effects of the British Empire's reach, and individualism and self-expression through recipe writing.

Stobart, A. (2016). Household medicine in seventeenth-century England. Bloomsbury Academic.

Stobart’s approach to exploring recipe books through a strictly medical lens yields a comprehensive survey of Early Modern medical culture. Three easily digestible sections focus on key themes: Information, Resources, and Practice. Worth noting are discussions on the affordability of healthcare, access to ingredients, and the treatment of chronic disoders.

Wall, W. (2016). Recipes for Thought: Knowledge and Taste in the Early Modern English Kitchen. University of Pennsylvania Press.

'Recipes for Thought' includes information on commercially printed recipe books, in addition to the handwritten types that are the focus of this project. Most notable is the discussion of literacy and handiwork in relation to the handwritten recipe books of the Early Modern era, and the discussion of experimental knowledge in the kitchen.