Leather-Bound Joy of Cooking Cookbook

Irma Rombauer’s famed Joy of Cooking—the (almost) edible encyclopedia Julia Child called “a fundamental resource for any American cook”—is back in a modern way. Full of home-cooked meal ideas that'll be home runs at your next dinner party or, well, just Wednesday night family gathering, plus oodles of desserts and sweets for every occasion, it's a mainstay cookbook for good reason. (Did you know it's sold over 20 million copies? Talk about a canonical culinary resource.) It was self-published in 1931 by Irma who had no prior experience working with a publisher, but plenty of recipe testing under her belt. Now in a revised and dazzlingly-updated 75th anniversary edition, it’s all decked out in embossed leather and gilded with hand-painted edges. Snag one to showcase on your counter or give as a gift to a fellow cook.

75th anniversary, 2006 edition.

See why the Joy of Cooking cookbook is one of our all-time favorite guides in this community book-off, then read about our top 10 essential cookbooks (read: desert island) and why they still matter.