What are your favorite out-of-print cookbooks?

Inspired by Ali's recent question related to resources for reading out-of-print cookbooks (here: https://food52.com/hotline...) I want to know what out-of-print cookbooks you have and love.

Lindsay-Jean Hard
  • 4967 views
  • 25 Comments

25 Comments

Medora V. December 10, 2018
The entire Time-Life Foods of the World series. Not only a treasure-trove of authentic recipes, many of which seemed quite exotic to us in the 60s, the format was inspired: a large, lavishly illustrated hardbound book that was as much a travelogue as a cookbook paired with a compact spiral-bound book containing just the recipes. One for the easy chair, one for the kitchen. These books still show up in used book stores, which is a good thing--I lost many of mine to a flood and was able to replace them all.
 
RisenWell December 9, 2018
Crescent Dragonwagon's "Bean Book"," One Dish Meals of Asia" by "Jennifer Brennan, "The Country Kitchen Cookbook", by Edward Harris Heth, and the whole, glorious "Foods of the World " series,by Time-Life.
 
Nancy December 9, 2018
Brennan died just a few years ago (2011) in San Diego at age 74. Also wrote "Curries and Bugles" which won IACP award for 1990 Best Book in Literary Food Writing.
 
Madie December 9, 2018
The slow Cooker Bible
 
arielcooks December 9, 2018
1. Is "Laurel's Kitchen," by Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, and Bronwen Godfrey, out of print now? This wonderful vegetarian cookbook contains the best nutrition tables in the back of any cookbook!
2. "Ethnic Cuisine: The Flavor Principle Cookbook," by Elisabeth Rozin, enables a cook to understand, and create, near-authentic cuisine from a wide variety of cultures.
 
Smaug December 3, 2018
Not being in the book trade, I don't keep track of what's going out of print, but I supect most of my best books are. For purposes of this question, I will select Louis De Guoy's Gold Cookbook from 1947. It's an incredibly comprehensive treatment; I don't really use many of the recipes, but it is a source I usually consult when learning any sort of traditional dish (I like to consult many sources) and gives a great window into the practices of the time. The story on the origin of the waffle is itself worth the price of admission.
 
Lex R. December 3, 2018
Does anyone here own Lee Cirillo’s The Italian Bakery cookbook? I’m looking for a digital copy of the recipes. It’s super rare. Thanks. :)
 
Nancy December 3, 2018
one source lists the original spiral bound
https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1938851M/The_Italian_bakery
BTW, I grew up in Rochester but left before it was published. Any background or story you can provide?
 
Nancy December 3, 2018
PS Is Lee related to the musician Chuck Mangione?
 
allie August 15, 2019
Hi Lex! Did you ever find a copy of the Italian Bakery cookbook? I am searching for this as well. I heard that the printer is no longer allowed to print this book. So, there is no way to have it printed, unless someone is willing to share it by scanning or selling it. Please let me know if you found it...I am willing to assist you if I am successful.
 
Lex R. August 15, 2019
I’m sorry, I have not. I found a woman who had a copy on Facebook, but she would only give out certain recipes and then she vanished. It costs hundreds to buy a vintage copy and $1 per page to print from the Library of Congress making it a very expensive book. I haven’t tried to find it in awhile so maybe you’ll have better luck!
 
louisez July 23, 2016
New York Times Heritage Cook Book -- Jean Hewitt
 
Nina A. July 23, 2016
Uh oh. I just put forty-one beloved, old cookbooks in the hallway of my apartment building. The three volumes of McCall's Cooking School went first. Now I regret it.
 

Voted the Best Reply!

mainecook61 July 22, 2016
Irene Kuo, The Key to Chinese Cooking
 
Lindsay-Jean H. July 22, 2016
So many great ones for me to keep my eyes peeled for, thanks all!
 
keg72 July 20, 2016
The Campagna Table by Mark Strausman and Julia Moskin -- such great Italian recipes. Very accessible. I'd highly recommend it (as would the reviewers on Amazon, it seems). And, it's apparently available very cheaply!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0688134742?_encoding=UTF8&isInIframe=1&n=283155&ref_=dp_proddesc_0&s=books&showDetailProductDesc=1#iframe-wrapper
 
creamtea July 19, 2016
Anna del Conte's Italian Kitchen: I Dolci, for it's Torta Sbrisolona (crumbly cake) of cornmeal and other desserts and cakes
Jacquelin Higuera McMahan, California Rancho Cooking
Marimar Torres, The Catalan Country Kitchen
 
pierino July 19, 2016
Another rare book from 1961 was Gourmet's Basic French Cookbook by Louis Diat. It was timed to arrive with the New York World's Fair. Same year as Julia Child's but a better book. Unlike most cookbooks today the recipes might be one or two paragraphs with the ingredients included. I inherited my mother's copy. She bought most of the good ones back then.
 
jilhil July 19, 2016
Italian Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Herrmann Loomis
 
QueenSashy July 18, 2016
It certainly has to do with where I come from, but this one is my favorite, especially if you are into ethnic cooking https://www.amazon.com/Balkan-cookbook-International-cook-book/dp/017140081X
 
pierino July 18, 2016
Helen Brown's West Coast Cook Book (1952) is an American Classic. Also Sheila Hibben's American Regional Cookery (1946). The Golden Age of American cook books was probably 1961 when the truly great, ground breaking ones appeared.
 
Nancy July 18, 2016
Because I learned from them and they still had a whiff of earlier or original editions (which subsequent editions have good but different flavors):
Joy of Cooking (1975 edition) and Larousse Gastronomique (English 1938).
Unprejudiced Palate, 1948 by Angelo Pellegrini. Italian way of home gardening and cooking. Not recovered or reintroduced, but retained by an Italian immigrant in California who was, I think, a professor of literature, but kept his family's way of eating.
Rochester Hadassah Cookbook, 1972. Like all those Junior League books...a fund-raiser and collection of tried-and-true home recipes. Includes my parents' generation of home cooks, all identified by their husbands' names, good basic recipes, memories.
Ontario herbs and forage products, mid 70s, spiral bound leaflet from a conservation centre. Now gone. Again, like the Pellegrini book, author had the sense to record and present recipes with decades of proven use. Made lots of jams, teas, mushrooms, etc from this little booklet.
 
paseo July 23, 2016
Actually, Angelo Pellegrini was a professor at U of Washington, lived, gardened and cooked in Seattle. A great guy and a terrific writer.
 
Nancy July 24, 2016
Paseo, thanks for the update on where Angelo Pellegrini lived and worked. Sounds like you knew him...lucky you!
 
aargersi July 18, 2016
Check these out - I love them more for the late 60's / early 70's flashback value. In the Commune one - an opening chapter it titled "A Rap About Kitchen Tools" - heh - and it reads like, well what you would expect.
Hare Krishna quote: This transcendental cookbook is designed to help you transform one of the most important daily chores into a spiritual reservoir of bliss.

How's THAT for a mission statement??
 
Recommended by Food52