About This Edition

The Book

The Grocer’s Encyclopedia was written and published by Artemas Ward in New York in 1911. Its aim, in the author’s own words, was to cover “all articles ordinarily handled by Fancy and General Grocers” — and it did so magnificently, ranging from abalone to zwieback through 1,556 entries on the fruits and fish, spices and staples, cheeses, wines and wonders of the old grocery, illustrated with some of the handsomest color plates of its era.

This Edition

This site reproduces the complete text of the original 1911 printing, digitized page by page. Nothing has been abridged, modernized or cleaned up: the period spelling, punctuation, measurements, remedies and commercial opinions all stand exactly as Ward printed them. The original color plates are reproduced alongside the entries they illustrate. Beyond the book itself, the site adds only navigation — the A–Z shelves, a search box, and features like the Curiosity Counter that point back into the text.

Editorial Policy

The book’s own words are never altered. Where we add anything of our own — context, a modern comparison, or a caution about a dated remedy or dated language — it appears as a clearly marked 2026 Editor’s Note, signed and dated, set apart from the original text. A book of 1911 occasionally reflects the attitudes of 1911; those passages are preserved unchanged as part of the historical record, with a note where one is warranted.

Citing This Edition

The underlying work is in the public domain and may be quoted, taught from and reused freely — see Rights & Reuse below.