Known familiarly as "Miss Leslie", Eliza Leslie was the daughter of a Philadelphia watchmaker who was a personal friend of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. A resident of Philadelphia, her first cookbook was published in her fortieth year, and was followed by almost a dozen more, books that were reprinted over and over and made her the most popular, well-known cookbook writer of the 19th century. She also wrote books on etiquette and children's books, and for a time she edited an annual gift book The Gift, which included selections from successful writers of the day including Henry Wadworth Longfellow.
