History

Bear Wallow Books was founded in 1978, by an historian who lived in the beautiful wooded hills of Brown County, in southern Indiana. She was teaching at Indiana University and researching early American history, when she realized that she saw recipes everywhere she looked; on scraps of paper that had been carried by immigrants crossing the sea, by pioneers leaving behind families and friends to settle a new country, and in letters containing family recipes to be handed down to new generations. Recipes provided unique insights into history, telling about the culture people came from, their economic status, and the foods available to them.

The first book was created in response to a request from a family member, and became a Brown County bestseller. Indiana has many native persimmon trees, and the fruits are gathered in the fall, when Brown County is overrun by tourists “leaf-peeping”, and persimmon pudding is on the menu in homes and restaurants alike. The request resulted in a collection being typed up and eventually became the first edition Old-Fashioned Persimmon Recipes.  

The rest, as they say, is history. When the historian retired, she had published 27 books, from Amish and Apple, to Woodstove and Zucchini. Her successors were carefully chosen. In 1998 Tom and Linda Wolfe purchased the business, and added more books, bringing the old-fashioned recipe series to 40 titles.

In 2018, Tom and Linda’s oldest daughter took over the business. Ever a Hoosier at heart, Anne still has the books printed in southern Indiana, one of the most beautiful places in the world. But she now resides, as does Bear Wallow Books, in Providence, Rhode Island. Anne is aided and abetted by her husband Adam, their daughter, a dog, a cat, a gecko, and 5 sweet hens. We don’t know for sure if Rhode Island is, in fact, 3% larger at low tide, but every little bit helps.

Vintage Cookbook

You just might find an out-of-print edition in an antique store.

Collectable

Early editions of Bear Wallow Books are sought-after by collectors.

Early Editions

Some early editions fetch big prices online!