Oh wow. I have a ton..... cookbooks are my weakness. Or one of.

I have one from the 50's, let me find it and I will let you know.

My 1953 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook should count as vintage. Bonus points for the vintage newspaper clippings tucked inside.

I got The Best of America's Test Kitchen, although mine is the version from 2006 I think. It's a good reference, and also explains why things work and why others don't.

I guess that for me, cookbooks are a step-by-step guide for making something completely new. After the first, or maybe second time, I'll never look at the recipe again - the knowledge is already inside of me. I feel fortunate enough in my experiences to have tried a wide range of cuisines from around the world.

The ultimate educational tool, for me, has been watching Good Eats with Alton Brown over the last.. I don't know.. five years? Knowing how each ingredient works is such an efficient means to get whatever is in my head to come out. If I don't have the knowledge, of course I will lean on a recipe one or two times, though a cookbook will go mostly unopened for me - and I'd rather have the space to put a new kitchen appliance or tool. ;)

I used cookbooks for years - like I said, it's how I learned how to cook. But I've found that I don't open them - making the internet and Alton Brown better tools for me.

Haha, checking out the Test Kitchen link that Steph provided... now that's a cookbook I'd love!

Steph, how veg-friendly is that one? Are there lots of pictures?

I was interested when it came out, but it was always shrink-wrapped in the store.

Not very many pictures. It's similar in style to Cook's Illustrated magazine, so not too many photos, all black and white. Most of the pictures in it are illustrations, not photos.

I'll have to let you know about veg. friendly. There are sections of the book dedicated to meat, with separate chapters on the common ones - chicken, lamb, beef, pork.

Williams Sonoma Ice Cream
Better Homes and Gardens circa 1982
The New Southern Cookbook
TIME/LIFE Lowfat Cooking
Better Homes and Gardens Kids Cookbook circa 1973

If I had to get rid of all of my cookbooks choosing 5 to keep, the keepers would be:
The Greens Cookbook
The Moosewood Cookbook
The Cake Bible
The Tassajara Bread Book
The Silver Palate Cookbook

Cooks Illustrated rules. Any project they do - it automatically rules. These people write wonderful cookbooks. They do have one that is specifically vegetarian. It's called The Vegetarian Year, I believe. It's by one of their editors. I have it and use it quite a bit.

Must...resist...amazon.com...

Actually, my mother will be asking soon what I want for Christmas. Now I know what to tell her.

I love cookbooks. Most of mine are the "bargain table" variety, and the recipes show it often enough that I should reevaluate my cookbook shelf.