Record

LevelCollection
Doc RefJG
Tree Ref (Click this to browse the collection catalogue)JG
ExtentApprox 3258 items from Jane Grigson, and 1337 from the Trustees
TitleGrigson Collection
Date20th century
DescriptionThe core of the collection is the personal library of Jane Grigson. This collection, primarily of books and pamphlets, reflects closely the culinary themes that underpinned her writing, and includes her personal notebooks. In addition to this, the Jane Grigson Trustees continuously add material to complement and update the core collection.
Creator NameJane Grigson, Georgina Boosey, Lesley Chamberlain, Roz Denny, Sarah Freeman, Helen Gifford, Miriam Polunin, .
Administrative HistoryJane Grigson, née McIntire, was born in Gloucester in 1928, but was brought up in Sunderland, and after taking an English degree at Cambridge in 1949, worked in art galleries, publishers, and as a translator. In 1953 she joined the publisher, George Rainbird, as a picture researcher, where she met her husband Geoffrey Grigson, who worked there as an editor.
Jane herself did not start out to become an expert in food and cookery. It was only years later, after she and her family began to spend several months of the year in France, that Jane developed a fascination with French cuisine. She ended up researching and writing 'Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery', which looks into the wealth of cooked meat products that are available in even the smallest French market towns. This work was received with much acclaim, and as a direct result, Elizabeth David recommended Jane to The Observer newspaper as their food columnist. She remained in this capacity for the next twenty one years.
As well as writing her columns and recipes, Jane also wrote eleven other books, including 'Jane Grigson's Fruit Book', 'English Food' and 'Good Things'.
Custodial HistoryJane Grigson's books and papers were placed on long term loan to the Jane Grigson Trust by her daughter Sophie. The collection was originally housed in London's Guildhall Library, but moved to Oxford Brookes University in 2005.
Further items have been donated by the families of Georgina Boosey, Lesley Chamberlain, Roz Denny, Sarah Freeman, Mr & Mrs Freemantle, Helen Gifford, Miriam Polunin.
AppraisalDuplicates removed
URLhttp://www.brookes.ac.uk/library
Image

Grigson Collection

Access ConditionsPlease use the Library Catalogue, available at www.brookes.ac.uk/library, to search for the published items in this collection.
The collection may be viewed in the special collections reading room only.
SubjectFood
Gastronomy
Cookery
LanguageEnglish
Archivist NoteCatalogued by Eleanor Possart in 2008-2013, with the exception of the 'Articles' series which was catalogued by Annabel Gill, with the help of Matt Griffin, in 2011.
Access statusOpen
Persons
CodePersonNameDates
DS/UK/23Grigson; Jane (1928 - 1990); writer on cookery1928 - 1990
DS/UK/44Leith; Prudence Margaret (1940); restaurateur, caterer, author, journalist1940
DS/UK/45Black; Margaret Katherine (1921-1999); food writer and food historian1921-1999
DS/UK/51Polunin; Miriam (1945-2005); food writer1945-2005
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