Scottish writer Christian Isobel Johnstone (1781–1857) enjoyed a prolific career as a journalist and novelist. She established several periodicals with her second husband, and was the only female journalist to edit a major periodical until the 1860s. Written under the pseudonym Margaret Dods (the name of the landlady of the Cleikum Inn, in Scott's St Ronan's Well), the first edition of this housekeeping guide, published in 1826, contains not only recipes and cooking advice but also instructions for food preservation, as well as other useful domestic hints, and two pieces, probably by Scott himself, about the inauguration and the final meeting of the Cleikum Club. This second edition was published in 1827 and contains additions including a compendium of French cookery, an enhanced section on confectionery and a further 200 recipes. Several further editions were printed subsequently, providing Johnstone with a steady income for the rest of her life.