New Margene Recipes was written in 1949 and published by Canada Packers Ltd. in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Author of Margene recipes is listed as Brenda York but this name was a pseudonym created by the publication company Canada Packers Ltd. The true author of this cookbook is Kathleen Hodgins who wrote under the name Brenda York for the publication company from 1947 to 1951. The name Brenda York likely came from the York brand of canned food that was owned by Canada Packers Ltd., and this brand can also be seen throughout the Margene cookbook being used in many recipes. In this cookbook there is no evidence of how it was sold, but it was most likely sold or given away to promote Margene. Margarine had been banned in Canada from 1886 to 1948, although it had temporarily been allowed between 1917 to 1923 during the First World War due to food rationing. The ban had just been lifted the year prior to publication so most consumers would still be choosing butter, but this cookbook showed that Margene could be used in a vast variety of ways as an alternative to butter. The cookbook has a total of forty pages and sixty recipes. This copy of the book is in good condition, the outside edges have some wear to them and are scratched but the pages inside have been well taken care of. After examining the book there is no indication of a previous owner as it almost seems to be brand new. Although there is no indication of a previous owner we can guess that it would have been a woman as cooking was still thought to be mainly a woman’s job at this time. There is a letter to the reader from the author on the opening page addressed “Dear Madam”, indicating the book was for women of the time.