The Rarest Harlequin - Livre de cuisine Purity

In 1932 Western Canada Flour Mills Co. Limited published The Purity Cook-Book, replacing The New Purity Flour Cook Book of 1923. A revised edition followed in 1937 and a second revised in 1945. The publisher was a renamed Purity Flour Mills Limited. The second revised edition was translated by Rose C. Lacroix and published in 1945 as Livre de cuisine Purity.

In 1950 Harlequin Books published their versions of the 1945 editions, the English version renamed The Pocket Purity Cook Book. The Harlequin English edition is uncommon in nice condition but can be bought for a little as $8. The French version is another matter. While there are eight copies of the Purity Flour 1945 French edition for sale, no copies of the Harlequin are available on line and it is generally recognised as the rarest Harlequin. With the first French edition only five years old one can imagine little demand for Harlequin's only book in French.



Harlequin 52 - June 1950

Harlequin 52 back