General University News
Largest Collection Of English-Language Chinese Cookbooks Donated To Stony Brook University By Jacqueline Newman

STONY BROOK, N.Y., January 11 2006—Stony Brook University today unveiled the largest collection of English-language Chinese cookbooks in the world, a gift from Jacqueline M. Newman, a lifetime collector of Chinese cookbooks and a Queens College professor. The debut of the collection, consisting of more than 2,600 cookbooks and other items, coincides with the University’s celebration of the upcoming Chinese New Year, which begins January 29.

In addition to the 2,626 cookbooks, Dr. Newman also donated collections of haute cuisine magazines, archival materials, videos, CD-Roms and more than 4,000 slides. She also contributed 12 extensive sets of leading cooking magazines, 175 books on Asian foods and cooking, and a collection of 125 Chinese herbal medicine books. The total donation of more than 7,000 items is valued at $400,000.

Approximately 22 percent of Stony Brook’s undergraduates are Asian or Asian-American, and the University is home to an Asian Studies Center and the Charles B. Wang Center, which celebrates Asian and American cultures. The Wang Center was constructed with a gift of more than $50 million by software entrepreneur Charles B. Wang and is the largest single donation ever presented to a SUNY institution.

“I hope that this collection does more than just produce interest in Chinese cuisine,” Dr. Newman said. “Food is a lot more than cooking. I’m looking to broaden the conceptualization of food because it has anthropologic, sociologic, cultural, and historical significance, and more.”

“This is as special as it is important,” said Stony Brook President Shirley Strum Kenny. “It is a very important collection for understanding the Asian American community and it will help support our curriculum. It fits perfectly into our development of a comprehensive Asian Studies Center. This will be the nucleus for building very important surrounding collections.”

The collection is being housed in the Special Collections Department of the Melville Library and is being used by the famed P.F. Chang’s China Bistros to inspire and train chefs at the highly-acclaimed restaurants nationwide.


“The collection at Stony Brook is amazing,” said Bob Tam, Research and Development Chef for China Bistros. “I will definitely use it in my future research"

Dr. Newman has collected Chinese cookbooks for about 50 years, ever since she got her first Chinese cookbook as a wedding present. Chinese cooking has since developed into her area of research and special interest and she wrote her doctoral thesis on changing Chinese food and habits in New York City. She is editor and publisher of Flavor & Fortune, a quarterly about the science and art of Chinese food. In 2004, she authored the book Food Culture in China and edited Chinese Cuisine & American Palate: The Art & Science of Chinese Cooking. Dr. Newman is a retired Professor of the Family, Nutrition, and Exercise Department of Queens College.

“Historians and social scientists are increasingly interested in daily life,” said Kristen Nyitray, head of Stony Brook’s Special Collections. “These cookbooks open a window on immigrant lives that otherwise would remain hidden. We are honored and delighted that Dr. Newman has chosen Stony Brook as the repository for her significant collection.”

For more information about this rare collection of Chinese cookbooks and to access the cookbook database, please visit the Special Collections web site at www.stonybrook.edu/libspecial/collections/rarebooks.

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