After discovering that the existing cookbooks of her time were less than helpful, Terhune followed her friends' suggestion and began compiling her own tested recipes, which she wrote in a more accessible manner.

Marion Harland's Cookery for Beginners was one of these works. Known by her penname Marion Harland, American author Mary Virginia Terhune wrote some notable bestselling works in fiction and non-fiction genres.

Contents include:

Home-made Yeast and the first Loaf

Bread Sponge and Breakfast Breads

Breakfast Breads

Other Breakfast Breads

Eggs

Broiled Meats

Fried Meats

What to do with Left-overs

Other Dinner Dishes

Meats

Vegetables

Desserts

Cake-making

Jellies, Creams, and other fancy Dishes for Tea and Luncheon, or Supper-Parties