The Handbook of Home Economics: For Use in Elementary Schools of Hamilton was published in 1944 by the Hamilton Board of Education, Ontario. A signed Forward by Frank E. Perney, the superintendent of Hamilton schools at the time, addressed the purpose of this cookbook as being an educational manual for cooking and keeping the home. Directed towards grade seven and eight girls, these students learned the necessities surrounding food in terms of health, use, sources and the recipes themselves. Additionally, the cookbook goes further into lessons on mannerisms and etiquette, personal and food presentation, and home management. As such, it can be argued that the end goal of The Handbook of Home Economics was to provide a guide outlining the, then, current female social norms for the next generation of domestic house wives.

The cookbook itself is a seventy-two page historical Canadian home economics manual that highlights information on certain aspects of food history during the 1940s. For instance, the advancements in nutritional awareness and the growing popularity of home economics. Consequently, The Handbook for Home Economics was undoubtingly impacted by the significant events occurring around this time, such as the Second World War resulting in food rations. Likewise, the cookbook would also have been an important tool in shaping the lives of the young girls who owned them. Therefore, when reading threw this cookbook it is important to take note of the intended audience and to be critical of the societal influences during the period of publication.