EVERYDAY
DESSERTS

HOLIDAY
DESSERTS

INTERNATIONAL
DESSERTS

HISTORIC
DESSERTS

RECIPE HELP

SITE INFO

Subscribe To This Site

Out Of Print Cookbooks

Tips On How To Find Old Cookbooks

Out of print cookbooks referred to on this website are often still available if you know where to look. Here are some good tips on how to find them.

Some of the old cookbooks I inherited, but those I didn't inherit were mostly bought at local second hand bookstores specializing in out of print books.

Public library sales, garage sales, flea markets, and church bazaars are also good sources for vintage cookbooks. You can sometimes stumble across real bargains provided you get there early before the serious book collectors.

Ask your friends, relatives, and neighbors if they have any old, used cookbooks. Many people have them packed away in their basements or attics or taking up needed space on bookshelves, and they would be happy to give them a new home.

Some of the more popular nineteenth-century cookery books can still be found in public libraries. They are often located off the main shelves in what they call the "stacks" because of their worn condition and susceptibility to damage, so you may have to check the library computers and ask a librarian for assistance. Ask whether they have plans to include it in a future library fundraising sale.

Online used bookstores are great sources for used, rare, and out of print cookbooks. A search for an out of print book title on the Internet can sometimes locate a used bookstore offering real bargains. A search for your favorite cookbook author's name will also turn up heritage cookbook sources. And don't forget to check out the antiquarian bookstores.

Recipe Search is an excellent tool for this task. Just remember to launch out onto the Web by pressing the "Web" button first, and enclose the book's title or the author's name within quotation marks to guarantee accurate search results from Google.

Out Of Print Cookbook Prices

Prices for old and antique cookbooks will often vary, but most old cookbooks from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are surprisingly low priced and affordable; however, a lot depends upon the used bookstores, the condition of the book, and its rarity.

For instance, I purchased a well-used 1913 edition of "The White House Cook Book" for $15, and a 1912 edition of "Mrs. Beeton's Every Day Cookery" for just $8.00 at a Peterborough Public Library fundraising sale.

And, I was thrilled to get an 1891 edition of "The Girl’s Own Annual" in good condition for just $6 at a similar book sale. It contains some great Victorian dessert recipes, plus a delightful four-color frontispiece featuring a watercolor illustration by the celebrated nineteenth-century children's book illustrator Kate Greenaway (1846-1901). The Greenaway illustration by itself is worth several times the price I paid for the book!

You never know what treasures you will find at an old book sale. It's not unusual to find old Betty Crocker cookbooks, and you might even stumble across a vintage Fannie Farmer Cook Book or a copy of Aunt Babette's Cook Book. These were some of the best cookbooks of their day with great recipes for any occasion.

Purchase Reprints Of Old Cookbooks

If you love the old-fashioned dessert recipes on this website, many were taken from early editions of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, The White House Cookbook, Mrs. Beeton's Everyday Cookery, and old brand-name recipe booklets.

Great news! There are online bookstores where you can buy revised reprints of these timeless cookbook classics and modern cookbooks at discount prices. Search the book titles and you should find them easily.

My best advice: Have patience, keep searching, and you are sure to find some wonderful out of print cookbooks of interest.

TOP of Out Of Print Cookbooks
RETURN to Grandma's Kitchen
HOME to Dessert Recipes

Welcome To My Website

My name is Don and I've dedicated my site to bringing you the best in vintage dessert recipes.

Grandma's historical recipes are given exactly as they were first published and sometimes lack exact temperatures and cooking times. Here, you'll find...

Help With Vintage Recipes
Help With Measurements
Help With Oven Temperatures

Grandma McIlmoyle's vintage recipes for dessert

Enjoy making the delicious homemade desserts your grandparents loved. Help to keep the old fashioned recipes alive.