Italian Cooking Encyclopedia

Thought of the Day…Food is the most primitive form of comfort. ~ Sheilah Graham (1904-1988)

About a week and a half ago, The Offspring and I went to a neighborhood bistro and had a wonderful lunch. I’m not a gorgonzola fan… in fact I hate blue cheese! They told me that the gorgonzola in their Butternut Squash Soup with Gorgonzola and Apples wasn’t strong and offered me a sample. I was surprised. It was really good so I ordered it along with Quiche Lorraine. I had already eaten the quiche when I realized I should have taken a photo.
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While we waited for our lunch, I noticed a bunch of books on a nearby bookshelf. There was one that caught my eye. It was titled Italian Cooking Encyclopedia. I grabbed my iPhone and used my RedLaser app to check prices. My mouth fell open when I saw $240.00 for a new copy. I thought my app was messed up so when we got home I looked it up on Amazon.com. Yep, $240.00! I thought to myself “no way!” Then I saw it was because it was a first edition.

Don’t worry, I’m not nuts (well… maybe I am… Rafael I expect some smart aleck comment popped into your head! ). I didn’t spend $240 on a cookbook! 😉

I did look at the used copies in Amazon’s marketplace and found a used one from an Oregon seller and the description read:

Worn corners and/or edges (possibly bent). Creases on cover. Used – good. Sound copy (mild reading wear). May have scuffs or missing dust jacket. May have some notes, highlighting or underlining.

When I looked at the price I decided I could afford to buy another cookbook. Guess what I spent for my used first edition copy….

Item Subtotal :  $1.99
Shipping & Handling :  $3.99
Total :  $5.98

I chose a seller from Oregon so I could get it sooner… Not sure why I felt I needed it sooner, especially since I can’t use my range like I want. (note: if you don’t know what I’m talking about… read my SNAFU, Part 2 post)

I received my book the day after I bought it… the benefit from buying it from a local Amazon marketplace seller. 😀

Well, their description was way off! My new cookbook looks NEW!
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OK, not “crisp” new, but just like one that was sitting at the bookstore and had been looked at by customers. I don’t care! I’m soooooo happy!! My $240.00 first edition cookbook cost me a whopping $5.98!!!

The little white box on the front reads
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Here are some of the pages… in no particular order. I just flipped pages and took the pictures.

Interestingly enough, the first one was Spinach and Swiss Chard… Ma and Pa (our wonderful neighbors behind our house, you remember… Rosie’s Ma and Pa) just gave me some Swiss Chard. I still have some left in my green veggie bags, so I’m going to try what it says.
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​Figs and Lemons​
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​Aperitifs & Liquers (duh… it has that at the top page and you can read… silly me!)
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​The recipes are step-by-step and have full color photos.
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Here’s the recipe that made me want the book… Pasta with Cream and Parmesan
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​This is the last recipe page… Ladies’ Kisses and Tea Cookies
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As you saw from the first photo, it’s a pretty hefty book. YEP… that’s right 502 pages!
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So, do you think I got a good deal?
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