Wishing and begging for this book has made me realize that almost as much as cooking, I love reading cookbooks. I've discovered I'm quite good at reading a recipe and knowing if I'll like it, or what I could changed to make it better- a skill I like to think I got from my grandma, who used to pour over recipe books (though she was a crappy cook. Everything bland and everything overcooked. I guess all the cookbook-reading didn't do her a lot of good).
At the thrift store, I've found some good ones for just a dollar or two- a Better Homes and Gardens vegetarian cookbook, a book of muffins and quick breads, and a Thai cookbook that shows not only how to make traditional Thai meals, but also home-made curry pastes and flowers out of carrots and chilis.
The Bon Appetit 30-Minute Main Courses book almost has more pages marked for me to try than pages that are unmarked.
And in my little collection of cookbooks is a book I have not yet used, but love for it's looks: Fannie Farmer Junior Cook Book, published in 1942 and inscribed "To Meg from Grandma," containing directions for everything from toast to layer cakes to Susie Salad:
and besides that, red-edged pages with cute little pictures at the beginning of every section:
