Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 1)

[cbel964]

I think I have about 10 cookbooks. I have used about 5 of them.

These include two of my husbands (Indian food). I can't get my head around them.

[hannahcooks]

Two- if Elizabeth David's An Omelette and a Glass of Wine counts (it has recipes, and all). Also Marcella Hazan.

[maggiethecat]

45,220.

[MichaelB]

Say 100 or so for me -- including the ones out on what now appear to be permanent loan. I did happen to see one of those on a friend's dining table yesterday,however, so I know it still exists.

[Squeat Mungry]

About 75 here. Plus another say 50 books about food, food history, etc.

[maggiethecat]

45,445.

And yes, books about food history, etc. definitely count.

That's 8.6 miles, folks. I can just about drive to that new Chipotle.

[Suzanne F]

Two more: one that I promised someone I'd review here (no, it is NOT Semi-Homemade Desserts, although it IS a dessert book: Emily Luchetti's A Passion for Desserts); and my firstborn: my maiden copyediting effort (which shall remain nameless because I still don't much like it ).

[maggiethecat]

my maiden copyediting effort (which shall remain nameless because I still don't much like it  ).

So Coy, Suzanne! (I understand)

Make that 45,447.

[heyjude]

Don't add these to the total, but here are some of the titles from the book sale that I promised to post. Many of these cost $.75 or $1.00.

The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews

Victoria at Table

Baking for Gift-Giving

Cakes Men Like

The Pooh Party Book

The Good Cook: Candy

Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook (2 different editions)

The Simple Art of Perfect Baking

The Joy of Chocolate

The Flavor of Italy by The Chamberlains

The BLT Cookbook

Vanilla

Colettes Cakes

Good Things by Jane Grigson

A first edition Julia with a nice dust jacket

The(1951)American Woman's Cook Book

All About Home Baking

The Mushroom Feast (1st U.S. edition)

Fancy Pantry

and the only one I've never seen before:Ingredients by Loukie Werle and Jill Cox. This is the German edition of an Australian book

I also got 6 Australian Woman's Weekly cookbooks which I ordered through the distributor. Those you can add. I don't like the new format, so these may be the last of these. The holiday season books look very promising. I'll post as I get them.

[davebr]

460, dont think I wont have the English version of El Bulli the day it comes out. Used book stores are my favorite, I even bought a cookbook once called "The transvestites guide to cooking" too funny. i gave it to one of my waiters

[Boris_A]

70. They are at different places, so it's more a good guess. Sorry.

They are from different cuisines and in different languages.

BTW, there's a void in my collection. With respect to my participation here, i think it's time to close the gap:

Is there a not too big, but still comprehensive US-American cookbook about traditional and/or regional dishes?

I mean, I tormented so many recipes in the past that I'm allready damned to stay in the bonfire of a big kitchen afterlife. So why not to start torturing American recipes now?

[Suzanne F]

Finally checked out the new Borders that replaces the one in the World Trade Center:

3 more food books, none a cookbook: the 2004 Time Out NY Eating & Drinking guide; Food Mania, which appears to be all historical pictures; and the paperback version of Cooking Ingredients which I didn't realize I already have in hardcover. (I'm only 3 away from a total of 600, unless I include some of the journals like Gastronomica and OptArt, in which case I'm at 614. But I'll never catch up to Ms. Amster. )

[Schneier]

45,445.

How many people does that include? More interesting than the raw total is the average total per person.

Bruce

[pumpkiny]

Um, since I last posted (earlier in the year) I believe I have added 40. Definitely an addiction.

[torakris]

Add one more for me and one on the way!

I just got Vatch's Southeast Asian Salads by Vatcharin Bhumichitr, haven't tried it yet but it looks gorgeous.

[maggiethecat]

46, 021. (Help Boris out, someone! )

OK. This is a really, really rough estimate. Taking the total number of books, dividing by the total number of posts, while backing out an (estimated) number of mine I make it:

An average of 115 cookbooks, and you know, that sounds about right. Or: 8.71 miles.

[heyjude]

I've been trying to think of a way to kvell about mamster being in Best Food Writing 2003 without sounding like a pushy stage mother and I think I've got it. When I buy 10 copies of Best Food Writing 2003 starring mamster of eGullet.com, will you count them as 1 new book or 10? Legitimate question, no? And how many copies will you be buying?

Love, Mom

[Suzanne F]

Hey . . . Boris!

Just ONE not-too-big book to cover all of American food? That's a toughy, because there really are many different regional styles.

There's always Joy of Cooking and James Beard's American Cookery, but while I like and use them, I'm not thrilled by them.

The volumes on American food in the Time Life Foods of the World series (from the late 1960s and early 1970s) are probably great, but hard to find, especially in Switzerland I suspect.

Two others I really like are: American Food: The Gastronomic Story by Evan Jones. Published 1975 by E.P. Dutton, ISBN 0-525-05353-0. I don't know if it's still in print, but I see it a lot in used-book stores here; maybe you could get it on Amazon? Also is I Hear America Cooking by Betty Fussell -- Penguin, 1986, ISBN 0-670-81241-2 (hardcover)/ISBN 0 14 02.6332 2 (paperback). Both are histories as well as recipe books.

[Flocko]

Maggie:

Add 7 more for me.

For the past several weeks I've been leisurely moving out of my home of 25 years to new digs. The cookbooks in the library itself has already been accounted for in a prior post. I've now begun to venture into darker realms.......other rooms containing, I'm discovering, books I haven't seen in years. In this batch:

"The Garlic Lover's Cookbook" (1980); "Joys and Subtleties.......Recipes from Thailand, Indonesia and Malasia" (1970); "Roger Verge's Cuisine of the South of France" (1978); "Bradley Ogden's Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner" (1991); "Justin Wilson's Homegrown Louisiana Cooking" (1990); "Sephardic Cooking" by Copeland Marks (1992); "The Greens Cookbook" by Deborah Madison (1987).

More to come, I'm sure

[wesza]

I've just become awed by the approximate amount of Cookbooks, stored on shevles in various locations at my home. This does not include Memus, Magazines, Books and Articles that are stored in about 30 Cartons. My grandaughter required a project to supplement her allowence, so I requested her to the job of counting my Cookbooks.

It seems that i've aquired in excess of 2000 Volumes. The majority were collected by my wife prior to 1988. I've only added about 100 since then.

I almost never follow recipes, except as a referance, so they are rarely utilized. The one Cookbook, that I often just look at for the Pictures more then the content is my signed edition of "les diners de Gala",or "Gala-Dali Gastronomique", by "Salvadore Dali", in 1973 when he was 68 years old. I have the "English Translation" that was translated by "Captain J. Peter Moore", and publised by Felice, Inc. New York. The ISBN # 0-9600692-1-6

Since i've kept this Book in it's original package, but have perused it often as the Drawing and Photograpy are exceptional i'm curious if it has become a rare collectable book.

It's very comforting to be able to look up most recipe preperations that I'm curious about but the one book that shows the way most often is, "Larousse Gastronomique', my copy purchased in Taiwan is a low priced bootleged copy, legaly available there when purchased. I've given my other original copy to my daughter. Irwin

[Schneier]

2000?

Wow.

Now all you need is a central index.

Bruce

[heyjude]

wesza, your fabulous book is, of course, quite valuable. Depending on condition and edition, they usually sell in the $200 and up range. Signed by Dali, the price would soar. I hope you will look through the other 2000 books and report on any hidden treasures that you find. Please, let me know if I can help you identify same. Culling 2000 boxed up cookbooks is every collectors dream, even vicariously.

Judy

[wesza]

wesza, your fabulous book is, of course, quite valuable. Depending on condition and edition, they usually sell in the $200 and up range. Signed by Dali, the price would soar. I hope you will look through the other 2000 books and report on any hidden treasures that you find. Please, let me know if I can help you identify same. Culling 2000 boxed up cookbooks is every collectors dream, even vicariously.

Judy

JUDY: I've got about 600/700 in bookcases or shelves. The ones in boxes, I sought of know how to dig them out if necessary. My kid's all seem to feel that in some ways these Cookbooks, are part of what they consider home base, since their Mother continued collecting them where ever we lived, in NYC, Asia, Honolulu and Mendocino, California. When I moved to Seattle I promised to keep them, as they had such a strong identity to their Mother.

Now when they visit, invariably they peruse the Cookbooks, and pictures with their children, reflecting on memories. They even seem to enjoy the more recent books i've accumulated, as somehow they realize that i'd only get books that their mother would have approved.

If there's any Cookbooks, that your interested in that i have in my collection i'd be happy to loan them to you for, your perusal. Often many food or recipe related queries i'm able to answer off the top of my head. This skill I acquired during the period my wife and I, hosted a Talk radio show, called "Whats Cooking" in Nothern California where we tried our best to respond to viewers questions about any subject Restaurant, Food or Travel related, both pro and con. We even had many listeners as far north as Alaska. I have no idea if any would be considered treasures, as they all are special to us. I have followed the thread about the Time/Life Cookbook Collection. My wife was able to put them all together just before they stopped marketing them.

Thank you for your interest. I hope that I may assist you. Irwin

[maggiethecat]

Jude: You kvell all you want, Proud Mama! Heck, I'm proud of my (limited) assocaiation with Mamster hereabouts, and I'm not his kith and kin. You have a right to preen a little. (I will buy one copy!)

Flocko: Ah, the joys of redicovery.

Wesza: An amazing collection and a truly touching glimpse into the life of your family.

48, 038.

[Boris_A]

Suzanne

Very kind, thank you.

I've already orderd you suggestions (Evan Jones, Betty Fussell) at Amazon.

Then I found there a reference to "The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors: Recipes You Should Have Gotten from Your Grandmother" with many 5 star rviews and ordered it for another $2.

I' m always very keen on learning something about social and gastronomic history.

I'hope it's not premature to add another:

3 books!

Regards, Bors