Anna L. Colcord

{{Infobox writer

| name = Anna L. Colcord

| image = Anna L. Colcord.png

| alt =

| caption = Colcord in 1908

| birth_name = Anna Letitia Guise

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1864|03|07}}

| birth_place = Sacramento, California, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1950|05|28|1864|03|07}}

| death_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.

| resting_place = George Washington Cemetery, Adelphi, Maryland

| occupation = Writer, editor

| notable_works = A Friend in the Kitchen

| spouse = {{marriage|William Alan Colcord|1882|1935|end=d.}}

| children = 4

| years_active =

| period = 1889–1919

}}

Anna Letitia Colcord ({{Nee|Guise}}; March 7, 1864 – May 28, 1950) was an American writer and editor. She published the vegetarian cookbook A Friend in the Kitchen in 1889 and later expanded it in Australia while working for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It sold widely, going through a number of editions and being translated into several languages. After returning to the U.S., she became a book editor and was involved in a copyright dispute over her work One Hundred Bible Stories, which led to legal battles but ended without a clear victory, resulting in financial losses for both sides.

Biography

= Early and personal life =

Anna Letitia Guise was born on March 7, 1864, in Sacramento, California.{{Cite news |date=1950-05-29 |title=Mrs W. A. Colcord, Author-Editor, Dies After Long Illness |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/868270663/?terms=%22Mrs%20W.%20A.%20Colcord%2C%20Author-Editor%2C%20Dies%20After%20Long%20Illness%22&match=1 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-03-19 |work=Evening Star |pages=12 |via=Newspapers.com}} She married William Alan Colcord (1860–1935) on September 28, 1882, in Jefferson, Iowa. They had three sons and one daughter.{{Cite web |date=2020 |title=Colcord, Willard Allan (1860–1935) |url=https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=495F&highlight=y |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=Encyclopedia of Seventh-Day Adventists (ESDA)}} Soon after marrying, Colcord and her husband joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Iowa.

= Career =

File:A Friend in the Kitchen.png

In 1889, Colcord published the vegetarian cookbook A Friend in the Kitchen.{{Cite book |last=Crook |first=Edgar |url=https://www.ivu.org/history/australia/Vegetarianism%20in%20Australia%202014.pdf |title=Vegetarianism in Australia: A History |date=2008 |publisher=E. Crook |language=en |chapter=12. Pure Food}} In 1893, when her husband was appointed to work for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia, she joined him there with two of their children. They both worked as missionaries and teachers for the church.{{Cite news |date=1962-05-29 |title=Glenn Colcord, Postal Employe For 25 Years |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/871632105/?terms=%22Glenn%20Colcord%2C%20Postal%20Employe%20For%2025%20Years%22&match=1 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-03-19 |work=Evening Star |pages=24 |via=Newspapers.com}} During this time, she created a new Australian edition of the book, containing 400 recipes, as well as illustrations and cartoons promoting a vegetarian diet. It sold widely in Australia and was later translated into several languages; it was also published in the United States. 18 editions were published in total, with 200,000 copies sold.{{Cite news |date=1922-03-24 |title=Nobody Wins, Both Sides Pay |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/205973178/?terms=%22Nobody%20Wins%2C%20Both%20Sides%20Pay%22&match=1 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-03-19 |work=Battle Creek Enquirer |pages=18 |via=Newspapers.com}} Further editions ceased to be created due to Colcord leaving the Church in 1914.

In 1902, Colcord returned to the U.S. She moved to Washington D.C., in 1904, where she worked as a book editor for new authors.

= Copyright dispute =

A copyright dispute over Colcord’s manuscript One Hundred Bible Stories led her to sue the Seventh-day Adventist Review and Herald Publishing Association after her work was included in a denominational book without the agreed-upon authorship credit. In April 1913, she had permitted its inclusion under specific conditions, but the publishers removed her credit before the book's release in 1914, leading to legal action. The book was distributed in 25,000 copies over six years, despite Colcord's objections. The case was heard by the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia.

By March 1922, the dispute concluded without a definitive ruling in Colcord's favor, resulting in financial losses for both parties. Colcord retained the copyright to her original work, but the publishers, having omitted her credit, faced economic setbacks due to the controversy.