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If your cookbook collection is more like a two-volume set
than a culinary library, take heart. You can build up a stunning
cookbook library without moving your kitchen to the poorhouse.
Here are some tips:
Used book stores Well,
duh. Although the selection won't include the hippest new
cookbooks, you'll often find nice classics, especially the
more dated-looking versions. If you strike out locally,
check Powell's for a
wide selection of reasonably priced used books, including
all the newer books.
Garage/Estate Sales Duh,
again, except few people go on a cookbook-finding mission
at garage sales. If you go garage saling one morning with
cookbooks as your sole object, you'll breeze through them
quickly. This is your best bet for cheap cookbooks, and you
might be surprised with some personal recipe collections or
old-timey giveaway cookbooks.
Thrift Stores Amongst
the 3000 microwave and appliance cookbooks, you'll usually
find some great old-fashioned American cookbooks or charming
church bazaar collections.
Book Clubs Book clubs
are my favorite way to acquire the newer cookbooks. You've
got to have self-control, but these days it's pretty easy
to belong to a bookclub. Most have 800 numbers you can call
to stop the automatic shipment, instead of sending in the
stupid card. You'll pay shipping and handling, but if you
choose your required selections wisely. Keep these things
in mind:
- Pay right away to avoid hassles
- Select expensive books for your free/cheap selections
and save the cheaper books to fulfill your membership obligation,
if any.
- If the club offers a discounted first purchase (typically
$2.99) that fulfills part of your membership obligation,
take advantage of it. If it doesn't explicitly say that
it counts toward your membership obligation, don't buy it.
- Cancel the moment you've fulfilled your obligation to
avoid over-spending--you can always rejoin again later &
take advantage of the savings all over again!
- Most book clubs will give you a free book if you rope
in a friend. They'll get the same swell deal & you'll
get another book, free.
Here are some good clubs:
Quality
Paperback Book Club "4 books, 4 bucks, no commitment,
no kidding." Even with shipping and handling, your four
books are usually still under $20. They are paperbacks, but
as the name says, they're quality paperbacks: very
nice books. You can either cancel the moment you pay for the
first shipment, or take advantage of some pretty sweet clearance
sales first. This isn't a cookbook-only club, but they do
have a nice selection, including versions of some quite expensive
cookbooks that aren't generally available in paperback.
The Good Cook Choose
three books for $1, then buy two more within the next year.
You'll also have the option to purchase one of those two books
for half off when you order, which you should definitely do.
Make sure to use your cheapest selection (the brochure
will show you the member prices) as the book you're paying
for. You don't want to pay half of Vegetarian Cooking for
Everyone when you could be paying half of Atomic Cocktails.
Your order, including shipping and handling and the first
selection, will be around $30. Budget-savvy members will buy
their one book and cancel. Not one to practice what I preach,
I've fulfilled my membership agreement but stay on because
they have killer sales.
Although The Good Cook is a subsidiary of Book-of-the-Month
Club, the BOMC site doesn't feature cookbooks, so look for
the Good Cook in home and cooking magazines (Martha Stewart
Living and Gourmet almost always have their ads)
or call 1-800-348-7128 and press 0 for an operator to request
an enrollment package. They'll send a brochure with a selection
of books & the little card for you to fill out & make
your selections.
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