Collecting Vintage Cookbooks
By Barbara Nicholson Bell
I've been reading old cookbooks most of my life, as my mother collected them. Early in my own collecting life I picked up a number of them cheaply at yard sales, and within a few years I had a reasonably eclectic collection. In recent years I've moved around quite a bit and seem to have lost some significant members of that collection, although I hope to unearth them in those few unpacked boxes still in storage.
Still, with the ones I still have, and the addition of several of my mother's collection that I inherited, there are some very interesting volumes. For many people, myself included, the real pleasure of a cookbook is in the reading. Most of the recipes will never be tried, the pages may never receive a splotch of food or a dusting of flour. But the joy of sitting back with a cup of coffee and a brand-new (to me) cookbook is one of the great satisfactions of life.
One could divide cookbooks into a number of categories if putting together a collection, although there are broad criteria for you to consider no matter what kind of cookbook you prefer: Is it in good condition for its age? Are there interesting illustrations? Is it a type of cooking you enjoy? Is it unlike any others you already own?
Some categories of vintage (anything older than 10 years, probably) cookbooks include:
- Regional (i.e. New England, Texan, New Orleans, Alaska)
- International (the cooking of France, China, Italy, Germany, etc.)
- Ethnic (Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese as written for someone unfamiliar with that cooking)
- Food Manufacturers (Rumson Baking Soda, Betty Crocker, Jell-O, Campbell's Soup, Bisquick, Pillsbury's Bake-off)
- Appliance Manufacturers (Cuisinart, Rival Crock-Pot™, Magic Chef stoves, Waring Blender, George Foreman)
- Church and/or charitable organizations, ladies' auxiliaries
- Famous chefs (Julia Child, M.F.K. Fisher, James Beard)
- Newspaper and magazine food columns (The New York Times Cookbook, Better Homes & Garden, Gourmet, Bon Appetit)
- Famous Restaurants
- Special diets (Vegetarian, Diabetic, Atkins, Weight Watchers)
- Certain kinds of food (Soups, Desserts, Chocolate, Vegetables)
- Humorous (the I Hate to Cook Book, Keeping the Wolf from the Door)
- Radio/TV Cooks (The Mystery Chef, Emeril, The Barefoot Contessa, Galloping Gourmet)
There are others, but you get the idea!
My particular favorites include a complete set of Time/Life Foods of the World (1968), a 1971 Fanny Farmer Boston Cooking School, the 1955 New California Cook Book by Genevieve Callahan. If you can find a copy of Samuel Chamberlain's Clementine in the Kitchen in good condition (not the paperback reprint), snap it up! His account of his family's French cook and her effect on their sojourn in Paris in the 1930's is priceless.
Two of my oldest are a Rumford Southern Recipes published around 1910, and a 1911 Recipes put out by Wesson Oil. Their condition is not great, as they were advertising leaflets given away to housewives, and were obviously well-used.
If you are interested in discovering vintage cookbooks, I recommend visiting your local library, and scouring flea markets and antique shops. In general cookbooks are not expensive unless they are rare. Alice Dick writes a great article at DigsMagazine.com about "Why I Collect Cookbooks." These two web sites are also good resources:
About the Author:
I have been a writer all my life, a collector of various interesting and old things, a traveler and an artist. More importantly, I've been a mother to four fine sons and grandmother to one very smart young lady. In these capacities and a few miscellaneous others, I've pursued a number of careers. I formerly wrote for Suite101.com on the topics Antiques & Collectibles and Design How-To (formerly, Interior Decorating for Beginners) as well as managing the Arts & Crafts section and several courses and newsletters to do with gardening, the home, and family. My articles have been gathered in two Best of Suite e-books entitled Antiques & Collectibles: The Design Periods, and The Collector's Encyclopedia, vols I & II.
Another stage in my life begins as Editor for Suite101's Home and Garden section. I can now legitimately focus on my passions for interior decorating, gardening and writing all at once!
Recently I was assigned the Health section as well. As the health of my family and myself are of utmost importance to me, I feel honored to have this responsibility. Meanwhile, if other avenues of self-expression present themselves to me, I may follow them as well. Some other very important interests include my husband Russ, Paris (and everything French), and golf.
Article courtesy of Suite101.com.
