Your Favorite Vintage/Nostalgia/Out-of-Print Cookbooks

[Indigo_Swale]

What cookbooks send you into paroxysms of happy or wistful nostalgia?

For me, it's the following:

*The Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery (Volume 7 was my favorite, because it included marzipan. My least favorite was the one that included the whole roasted piglet with the apple in his mouth, because I felt bad for the tasty little guy... )

*The Kid's Kitchen Takeover, published by Workman press. (Sadly, out of print now, but I managed to find a copy at alibris.com. God bless the Internet!)

*The Cooking of Japan from the Time-Life cookbook series published in the 1970's. I also liked the volume that included the cooking of Spain.

[college_cook]

Escoffier's Guide to Modern Cookery, I believe it's called. Originally Le Guide Cluniaire I haven't yet had the opportunity to check out Fernand Point's book yet.

[wysiwyg]

Escoffier is a fine choice indeed, specially if you like entertaining a lot.
The Larousse Gastronomique is my favorite.

[Michael in FtW]

LOL - Escoffier, IMHO, isn't a Martha Stewart party book - it is a guide to the foundations of fine French restaurant cookery. If you should ever be fortunate enough to be tested for Master Chef status - it is the benchmark against which your creations will be judged. But, that doesn't mean that the Larousse Gastronomique isn't also a great addition to any serious cooks library.

But - back to Indigo's question ....

What sent me into paroxysms of happy nostalgia was when I found a copy of Southern Cooking by Henrietta (Mrs. S.R.) Dull. These are the things my grandmothers made when I was a kid, and for the most part how they made them.

[wysiwyg]

Michael in FtW has a point. I guess Escoffier's book will bring back a lot of great memories if you worked at "Taillavent" LOL

However, if you ever lived in France, specially in the provinces...
there is an inexpensive book by Elizabeth David called French Provincial Cooking that really brings back a lot of memories.

[DonnaGA]

Originally Posted by Michael in FtW

What sent me into paroxysms of happy nostalgia was when I found a copy of Southern Cooking by Henrietta (Mrs. S.R.) Dull. These are the things my grandmothers made when I was a kid, and for the most part how they made them.

This book was a staple in my mom's kitchen. I also was delighted to find a good used copy.
Southern Cooking, HR Dull, was rereleased (??) in 2006 by University of Georgia Press. Think retail is in the $15-$20 range.
my 2¢,
donna