Antedatings of PB & J

[Hugo]

PB & J (OED: 1973)

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Page 78 of Generation magazine (1967, volume XIX, number 1) in a play called "The Machine" by Fritz Lyon:

[Begin excerpt]
SECOND MAN.  (Tastes his p.b. &j. sandwich, winces)
I haven't had peanut butter and jelly in a long time, either.
[End excerpt]

Google Books full view: http://goo.gl/7SabF6

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There's some possible 1969-1971 antedatings in Trail and Timberline (Issues 601-636). Only snippets are shown so the date may be wrong, but it looks promising. The Hathitrust catalogue record says these issues are from 1969-1971.

Google Books snippets: http://goo.gl/4ZyBZq

1969:

[Begin excerpt]
On the trail every day,
With ample P B & J,
Who knows, we may stay for a month and two weeks.
[End excerpt]

Page 84. Probably "May 1969", as found on pages 73 - 103:
http://goo.gl/l0LwYd
http://goo.gl/woUVgI

1970:

[Begin excerpt]
You'll never guess right on peanut butter and jelly, but take a lot. When all else fails, you can keep the crowd happy with P.B. & J.
[End excerpt]

Page 181. Probably "September 1970", as found on pages 181 - 269:
http://goo.gl/XyfC8P
http://goo.gl/5hygE3

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As an aside: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

The New York Times Magazine quotes Julia Davis Chandler as the earliest reference to peanut butter and jelly in November 1901:

[Begin excerpt]
‘‘Try making little sandwiches . . . of three very thin layers of bread and two of filling, one of peanut paste, whatever brand you prefer, and currant or crab-apple jelly,’’ Julia Davis Chandler wrote in November 1901 in The Boston Cooking- School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics. ‘‘The combination is delicious, and, so far as I know, original.’’ This is the earliest reference to peanut butter and jelly, and it appeared before the ingredients were widely available — you might have had to grind your own peanuts. It would be a while before the sandwich became a hit among those it’s most associated with: children. That happened later, after peanut butter became available in jars in supermarkets and was marketed to children in the 1930s.
[End excerpt]

NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/magazine/2013/innovations-issue/#/?part=pbj

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I found a slightly earlier reference in the 29th June 1901 Evening Star (page 19, image 19, Washington, D.C.), in the "Table and Kitchen" column on "Sandwiches for Picnics and Outdoor Functions":

[Begin excerpt]
Peanut Sandwich.

These are quite popular and are to be recommended for children's luncheons and picnic parties. If possible they should be served at once, as soon as made; cover thin slices of white bread with a stiff mayonnaise dressing; cover this well with ground peanuts which have been well roasted or salted and chopped fine. When served at society luncheons they should be accompanied with sherry. For children's luncheons or picnics put the roasted nuts through a meat grinder and spread the paste on buttered slices of bread. Mixed nuts can be used. Peanuts and strawberry or raspberry jam make a delicious, sweet sandwich for tea, and is better for children than sweet cake.
[End excerpt]

Chronicling America: http://goo.gl/Yi9oL8

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Hugo

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