Acquisitions

Please don't begin to think I've abandoned the premise of this blog entirely. Although I am currently in the midst of studying frantically for the GRE Subject Test - Literature in English and book-learnin' is pretty severely restricted to Norton Anthology introductions, I did pick up some cookbooks yesterday at the used bookstore down the street. Here's what I got. (PS: I've started a LibraryThing catalog of my cookbooks, see here.)

Wokcraft: A Stirring Compendium of Chinese Cookery by Charles and Violet Schafer, 1972
Published in San Fransisco by a local published but distributed by Random House, this book is thin and illustrated and lovely. Reminds me of hippie cookbooks my friends' parents owned when I was growing up.

The Cookbook Library's Time-Saving Cookbook by lord knows who, 1962
A grocery store cookbook with some of the most unappetizingly awesome photographs I have ever seen. Included: magazine clipping left by previous owner with a recipe for marshmallow nut brownies from the 60s which has been ripped to the point I can't entirely read it. However, I think by cross-referencing the recipe with others I can piece it back together and may someday provide it for your enjoyment.

The New York Times International Cookbook by Craig Claiborne, 1971
Oh, Claiborne. The book is bright green with a purple dust jacket. It's arranged by country. It, too, has the beautifully ugly pictures that if I had any balls whatsoever I would remove and frame and hang in my kitchen. Mmm.

Bread Baking by Lou Seibert Papas, 1975, signed!
Each page looks like a slice of bread! It's all printed in a totally groovy font! And signed!

Trail Blazers: Favorite REcipes of the Sierra Cedar-Wapsie Group by the Sierra Cedar-Wapsie Group, 1988
The Sierra Club of Linn County, Iowa's prize recipe collection. Plastic spiral bound, individually submitted recipes. Plus, you know, Iowa.

A Feast Made For Laughter by Craig Claiborne, 1982
What a ridiculous name for a book. Claiborne smiles drunkenly at you from the cover in front of a bowl of pears and apples, four slices of watermelon, and four glasses of white wine. I'm not joking. Can I say again? Oh, Claiborne.