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Old cookbooks


Gilb3rt

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What a loaded question...

Bookfinder.com is the best over-all used book site for any subject matter, once you know what title you are looking for.

Powell's is probably the largest used bookseller on the west coast and has a separate store just for cook books (which is a FABULOUS place to spend several hours, if you ever visit Portland).

But first and foremost, I tend to go to Janet Jarvits who is based in Los Angeles.

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Indeed, multiple sources ...

Obviously, both eBay and amazon.com have used books as well as new ... and sometimes someone wants to get rid of just the treasure you want!!

My favorite used book source is Alibris, which is a general source for all subjects and handles new as well as used books. They are a prime source for many university and private libraries, as well as individuals and can get specific editions as well as autographed copies. Alibris links to many independent sellers, so it's quite a wide network. On the negative side, you may find that five different books are being shipped from 5 different source ... and the shipping charge reflects that -- check the invoice for total price before you click "OK".

If the book is still in print, you may want to check Jessica's Biscuit, a very large, cooking only, source -- they often will discount heavily books no longer in the "current" marketplace, and you may be able to find a new book for the price you would pay for used.

IMHO, I usually reserve Bookfinder, for antiquities and rarities, since they link to multiple specialist, independent book sellers. I've found I pay more here than at Alibris, but then, by the time you get to this level, you're clearly looking for something unusual.

Edited by JasonZ (log)

JasonZ

Philadelphia, PA, USA and Sandwich, Kent, UK

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One of my favorites is ABEbooks

If you use Advanced Search

You can enter a keyword - for instance - Bread, Baking

Published date - for instance - 1900 to 1960

then select the country - USA

select Hard Cover

then Highest Price (or one of the other criteria)

and if you wish, First Edition

Here are the results

If you expand the search to all countries, you get many more results - many in the UK - I have purchased a great many wonderful old cookbooks from England and Scotland.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I found a couple of books from my childhood that I never thought I would find, and couldn't find elsewhere, at this site:

http://search.rubylane.com/search?ss=cookbook

Anne

These four are especially neat

http://search.rubylane.com/antiques/,ss=cookbook.html

Edited by annecros (log)
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Gilb3rt, I don't know where you live in the Netherlands, but if you look at Chufi's most recent blog, she mentioned how she usually sells used cookbooks on Queen's Day in Amsterdam.

I've always had great luck with the used booksellers who register with amazon.com in the States. I don't know how many small European businesses offer the same deals.

"Viciousness in the kitchen.

The potatoes hiss." --Sylvia Plath

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