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Best Out of Print Cookbooks

fresco

By fresco
in Cookbooks & References

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malcolmjolley

malcolmjolley

Posted
Posted
Excellent topic.

Any publishers reading this: case-bound please.

No paperbacks. You cannot cook out of a paperback.

E.g., Olney's Simple French Food, David's French Provincial Cooking

I'm pretty sure Penguin did a whole series of ED's books recently. I have a paperback reissue of French Provincial.

I'm in Canada, so it may be a North Aemrican thing, or only a Common Wealth thing.

You can get it at Amazon.ca

http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/search-ha...6492203-0233610

Malcolm Jolley

Gremolata.com

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badthings

badthings

Posted
Posted
The reason I bring this up, is that the recipes in the two books are almost exactly the same, down to the little tidbits of advice in the intro's to the recipes. So, I wonder if they are, in fact, recycling of "Simple French Cooking," that is, if Olney's heirs or publishers are just repackaging existing material.

Lulu's Provencal Table and Simple French Food are different books. Although I haven't seen it, I suspect that if you scrutinize your "beautiful" cookbook's copyright page, it will be revealed to be the same book as Lulu's Provencal Table (still in print, in hardcover), with pictures.

I'm pretty sure Penguin did a whole series of ED's books recently. I have a paperback reissue of French Provincial.

Yes, available in the states, along with a pb. Simple French Food. My point is that a pb. cookbook is almost useless -- if you are going to go through the trouble of reprinting one, do it in hardcover so that we can cook out of it without destroying the binding.

--

Max

der lieber Gott steckt im Detail

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SethG

SethG

Posted
Posted

Although I'm hurt that no one reacted to my non-serious suggestion above, I will perservere and make a serious suggestion:

The French Country Kitchen, James Villas. The prose is as valuable as the recipes.

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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SethG

SethG

Posted
Posted
Serving Time: America's Most Wanted Recipes,

by Sara Jane Olson/Kathleen Soliah.

Isn't this one of those books that is best err..."borrowed"?

Did anyone actually buy it? I was tempted, but not out of any sympathy for the SLA. I just thought it was the most audacious, and downright goofy, idea of a fundraiser for a criminal defendant that I'd ever heard of. I asssume it's out of "print" now since the website where it was for sale no longer exists.

"I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast;

but we like hot butter on our breakfast toast!"

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  • 15 years later...
blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted
On 12/11/2003 at 8:17 AM, budrichard said:

Pepin's La Technique and La Method in the original large format along with his "Art of Cooking" Vol1 and Vol2 in the original large format. Arguably the best books EVER published that include recipes and step by step technique pictures. Want to see how to break down a whole baby lamb? -Dick

 

On 12/11/2003 at 7:55 PM, Busboy said:

Damn. I was going to say that. I stumbled across "Art of Cooking" kind of randomly one day, and ended up learning more from it than any other cookbook, or set, I ever bought. Had no idea who Pepin was.

 

After listening to Dave Arnold extol these books on the Cooking Issues podcast, I thought I'd keep an eye out for them in the thrift stores but eventually broke down and ordered them.  $7 for one and $8 for the other.   

Jacques Pepin's The Art of Cooking 2 volume set published in 1988.

fullsizeoutput_3c88.thumb.jpeg.d751cfc3997cc734e7eada4dc02bf82c.jpeg

 

Dave described them as a great depiction of French cooking in the US at that time.  He said that in a conversation, Jacques allowed that this was his best work but that it never sold. 

Lots of photos of a younger Jacques and wonderful step by step photos that remind me of the Time-Life Good Cook series, though perhaps even more detailed.

fullsizeoutput_3c87.thumb.jpeg.a283ba8fa73c2e65200740375fab27e8.jpeg

 

I often troll the internet for videos instead of turning to books when I'm looking for step-by-step demos but these are really well done and I think I'll get good use from them. 

I'll absolutely enjoy reading through them and I'm sure to learn from them.

 

 

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Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted (edited)

Good timing. I'm in the middle of reading The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews: Traditional Recipes and Menus and a Memoir of a Vanished Way of Life, by Edda Servi Machlin, who passed away just last month. Absurd prices on Amazon, but as luck would have it, Eastern Michigan University had one copy that I borrowed via our statewide interlibrary loan system. It's already inspired me to take advantage of our local in-season vegetables and make caponata tonight.

 

I had no idea The Key to Chinese Cooking was out of print. I'm glad I bought a copy when it wasn't. It's been a major go-to reference for me.

Edited by Alex (log)
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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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Toliver

Toliver

Posted
Posted

AbeBooks.com currently has free shipping. I think it's for the month of September (don't quote me on that).

I am not a paid spokesperson for them and receive no remuneration for this mention. 

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“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, Toliver said:

AbeBooks.com currently has free shipping. I think it's for the month of September (don't quote me on that).

I am not a paid spokesperson for them and receive no remuneration for this mention. 

 

You might want to double-check thatI do get their emailings, some of which look like a free shipping offer, but they're not really. I just did a test order for one book, and there was a shipping charge.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

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Toliver

Toliver

Posted
Posted (edited)
20 hours ago, Alex said:

 

You might want to double-check thatI do get their emailings, some of which look like a free shipping offer, but they're not really. I just did a test order for one book, and there was a shipping charge.

You're right. I did check this.

Their email provides a link to locate used books that have the free shipping. This is the page for searching used books with free shipping: CLICK

Edited by Toliver
Punctuation error (log)

 

“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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  • 1 month later...
tomishungry

tomishungry

Posted
Posted
On 9/12/2019 at 11:18 AM, blue_dolphin said:

 

What's the other Chinese cookbook in your top two?

 

My favorite Chinese cookbook is also out of print.  Irene Kuo's The Key to Chinese Cooking. 

All Under Heaven by Carolyn J Phillips. The more I use it, the more I appreciate it. Like Barbara Tropp's book, It's impossible to digest at one sitting. You have to cook from it for a few momths to appreciate it.

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, tomishungry said:

All Under Heaven by Carolyn J Phillips. The more I use it, the more I appreciate it. Like Barbara Tropp's book, It's impossible to digest at one sitting. You have to cook from it for a few momths to appreciate it.

 

I have All Under Heaven.  I think you are mistaken.  I seriously doubt All Under Heaven is out of print.  In any event amazon will happily sell a copy.

 

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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tomishungry

tomishungry

Posted
Posted
On 11/6/2019 at 12:14 AM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I have All Under Heaven.  I think you are mistaken.  I seriously doubt All Under Heaven is out of print.  In any event amazon will happily sell a copy.

 

 

I replied to a query asking what was my other favorite chinese cookbook. All Under Heaven is definitely in print, Barbara Tropp's masterpiece The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking is sadly out of print.

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, tomishungry said:

I replied to a query asking what was my other favorite chinese cookbook. All Under Heaven is definitely in print, Barbara Tropp's masterpiece The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking is sadly out of print.

 

I'm sorry, I misunderstood.

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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  • 3 years later...
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