9 Vintage Cookbooks That Are Worth A Pretty Penny Today

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What do "The Count of Monte Cristo" author Alexandre Dumas, surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, and horror actor Vincent Price have in common? All three put their names to cookbooks: "The Dictionary of Cuisine," "Les diners de Gala," and "Cooking Price-Wise," respectively. They probably don't appear among the average home cook's libraries, but could be familiar to more serious collectors.

There's a healthy appetite in the United States for vintage cookbooks, even for beginners. Flea markets and the internet are both great places to root around in the hope of finding a lost treasure. Although we might not be able to get our hands on the original, medieval Forme of Cury, there are some bargains to be had. For instance, a first edition, English version of French encyclopaedia "Larousse Gastronomique" costs less than $50.

Of course, that's the lower end of the market — prices for some texts can reach eye-watering levels, in some cases because they were written by the celebrity chefs of their time. A combination of age, rarity, and print edition can also help turn some cookbooks into must-have items for devotees with the very deepest pockets. Let's take a look at some vintage cookbooks that are worth a pretty penny today. Prices may vary.

Most cookbooks these days aren't just a compilation of recipes. They're often enhanced with anecdotes from the author, which can be a bit frustrating when all we're looking for is what to do with the ingredients. In the 19th century, Robert Roberts did a lot more than offer insights into his own life. Published in 1827 and based on his time working "as a house servant in some of the first families in England, France, and America," "The House Servant's Directory" contained over 100 recipes.

As much a training manual as it was a cookbook, Roberts drew on his own experiences and religious faith to try to build confidence in young Black men. His aim was to reduce discrimination against them by proving that being a household servant was a multi-faceted job, requiring intelligence and discipline. Roberts himself was an extraordinary person: A deeply religious entrepreneur, he worked tirelessly to end slavery and secure full citizenship rights for Black people.

His Directory is historically significant because it was the first book and cookbook written by an African American to be commercially published in the United States, so it goes without saying that early copies are extremely valuable. A first edition costs $7,850 to buy online but a modern, hardcover copy of "The House Servant's Directory" will set you back a much more affordable $125.

American foodies may be familiar with Elizabeth David but perhaps less well known in the United States is the Englishwoman who inspired her. Hilda Leyel was many things: a society hostess, charity fundraiser, and devotee of herbalism. She also wrote cookbooks, sometimes with Olga Hartley. The pair collaborated on "The Gentle Art of Cookery," which David received as a gift on her 21st birthday.

The 1925 book was remarkable (as the introduction stated) in seven ways, as it covered children's cooking, flower cooking, and even advocated for meat-free recipes. While foodies can pick up a copy of "The Gentle Art of Cookery" for around $12 online, not all Hilda Leyel's works are so accessible. In 1936, "Picnics For Motorists" was published under her usual pen name of Mrs C.F. Leyel.

In the front of the book, she explained how "a picnic near Itchenor, given in the summer of 1935" inspired her to assemble a collection of 60 recipe menus that were perfect for car journeys, per AbeBooks. Back in the 1930s, motor cars were still relatively new playthings for the wealthy — and today her book is in similar territory. If collectors can lay their hands on a copy, they should expect to pay in the hundreds of dollars. At the time of writing, a "scarce" first edition, owned by food writer and editor Jill Norman and valued at more than $650 online, was either snapped up or pulled from sale.

In 2024, a panel of experts listed their 25 most influential cookbooks from the past 100 years for The New York Times. Titles from the 1970s included "Diet for a Small Planet," by Frances Moore Lappé, published in 1971, and "The Cuisines of Mexico," by Diana Kennedy, which hit bookstores the following year. But there was, for some foodies and collectors, a glaring omission: Ahmed Yacoubi's 1972 tome "The Alchemist's Cookbook."

As well as featuring ringing endorsements from William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg the introduction (written by American writer Paul Bowles, a close friend and possible lover) told readers that Yacoubi was, on both sides of his family, a "direct descendant" of the prophet Mohammed, while his food was "by no means the usual Moroccan fare" and was "famous among those privileged to attend his table," per Idea.

Readers must decide for themselves if recipes such as "soup to cure jealousy" (a tasty-sounding vegetable smoothie of beetroot, avocado, and cucumber) and an antidote to taking too much hash (which essentially was a hydration boost) support Bowles' claim about Yacoubi's food. Although not as rare as some, prices for "The Alchemist's Cookbook" range from the affordable at $100 to the eye-watering, with one slightly dog-eared, second-hand copy going for almost $1,500 online.

Any book that claims to "far exceed any thing of the kind ever yet published" had better deliver on such a lofty promise. Hannah Glasse's groundbreaking 1747 book, "The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy," absolutely did. A bestseller for over a century in England and the United States (until a certain Mrs Beeton came along) it is regarded as one of a handful of culinary bibles.

Although it was written for people at the lower end of the social and economic spectrums and featured simple, commonplace ingredients, Glasse's cookbook was prized by the illustrious too. American presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (the unsung champion of this ingredient) both had copies, while a presumably homesick ambassador Benjamin Franklin reportedly translated some of its American recipes into French.

Cookbook collectors looking to own a first edition of "The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy" should be warned: They don't surface often and those that do are not cheap. In 2013, auction house Christie's sold one with a few minor flaws for more than $8,400, though the estimated top price was over $10,000. If that's not your idea of a bargain, you can buy a paperback version for a little under $15 and still get the benefit of Hannah Glasse's culinary wisdom.

If you thought spin-offs were a modern thing, Isabella Beeton entered that chat more than 160 years ago. She is, of course, the Mrs. Beeton of "The Book of Household Management" fame, but her smarts didn't just extend to recipes and domestic advice. "The Englishwoman's Cookery-Book" was one of a series that featured snippets and extracts from the aforementioned culinary bible.

As well as providing hints on using up leftovers, "The Englishwoman's Cookery-Book" also includes French-inspired dishes, a recipe for mango chutney, and was one of the first cookery books to bring curry to the masses. If only they'd known then what we know about curry powder and eggs. Ironically, even though the spin-off books would have been a fixture in many households — they were also known as "Mrs. Beeton's Shilling Cookery Book," suggesting they cost very little — not many copies come up for sale.

That makes them very valuable indeed and worth scouring the attic for, just in case. A first edition copy of "The Englishwoman's Cookery-Book" is valued at more than $4,500, though a gorgeous, leather-bound version costs just $40 online. A rare, unrecorded edition of "Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management" will set you back almost $7,000, compared to the relatively modest $14.99 paperback.

No compilation of vintage books that are worth a pretty penny would be complete without including the grande dame herself: Julia Child. The California-born former administrative assistant ended up in Paris shortly after marrying her husband Paul, and it was there her life-long love of cooking, especially French cuisine, was born.

Upon the couple's return to the United States in the 1960s, Julia was asked to host "The French Chef," a cooking show that would run for a decade. Although she would go on to write several cookbooks, the T.V. series was based on the first volume of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," published in 1961. Co-written with Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck, it put Childs on the map in the culinary world, launching an army of fans that exists to this day.

Home cooks in the U.S. who don't already have a well-thumbed copy can snap up both volumes of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" for around $42. But collectors looking for something more special should expect to shell out thousands of dollars. A second-hand, first edition hardback copy of Volume I will set them back more than $3,800, while first editions of both volumes, inscribed by Julia and co-signed by Paul Child will cost an eye-watering $12,000.

Not to be confused with former United States president Abraham Lincoln's wife, Boston housewife Mary Johnson Bailey Lincoln was one of the culinary world's first celebrities. Her husband David's poor health forced her to find work, and in 1879, she joined the faculty of The Boston Cooking School after initially declining the invitation. It catered to young women who wanted to become cooks themselves or be able to teach servants to do things properly.

"Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book," with its no-nonsense subtitle "What to Do and What Not to Do in Cooking," combined easy-to-follow instructions for recipes with the latest innovations in kitchen technology, such as rotary egg beaters. Lincoln went on to become the school's first principal, and also penned several other cookbooks, including "Carving and Serving" in 1886 and "What To Have for Luncheon" in 1904.

Today, signed copies of "Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book" are much-sought after by collectors. A signed first edition will set you back $6,500, while a second printing of the first edition is a bargain at $3,500. If that's still too rich for your blood, around $20 will buy you a handsome 2012 reprint. It's worth noting that Mary Boston's book also paved the way for the more famous version by her successor, Fannie Merrit Farmer. A very rare first edition of that tome will set you back $2,650.

Between 1742 and 1796, no fewer than four books were published, aimed at helping the American housewife cook. Among the authors was orphan Amelia Simmons, whose tome "American Cookery," published in 1796, covered everything from meat and fish to "the best modes of making pastes, puffs, pies, tarts, puddings, custards [sic] and preserves," per The American Antiquarian Society.

"American Cookery" was unique as it was the first cookery book written by an American to be published in New York. But Amelia wasn't done. In 1805, she penned "New American Cookery, Or Female companion," which included everything from roasting and stewing, to pickling, pie-making, and potting, as well as wine and cheese-making. Recipes were, according to the title page, "Peculiarly adapted to the American mode of cooking."

Curious home cooks can browse digitized versions of Simmon's work, and "New American Cookery, Or Female Companion" is still available, selling for just $13.99. If you happen to have a few thousand dollars lying around and want something really special, a very rare first edition is on sale for the bargain price of just under $22,000. Alternatively, a first edition of its predecessor, "American Cookery" will set you back just $250.

Vintage cookbooks aren't just a glimpse at how people used to eat, they can also offer a deeper insight into how some people lived. For author and travel writer Charles Henry Baker, that was very well indeed. He is fondly known in the United States for the cocktails and drinks he brought back from his globe-trotting adventures.

But the man who sought to escape the "arid yoke" of Prohibition, hung out with Errol Flynn and Ernest Hemingway (though probably not here), and whose marriage to an heiress enabled him to explore foreign shores, was also responsible for a string of books about food and drink, as well as entertaining anecdotes. They included "The Gentleman's Companion, Vols I & II," and both came with witty subtitles.

The first was: "Being an Exotic Cookery Book Or, Around the World With Knife, Fork and Spoon," while the second book was dubbed: "Being an Exotic Drinking Book, Or Around the World with Beaker, Jigger and Flask." Foodies can pick up a 2015 edition of the books online for $25, but for the serious collector, a set of both volumes will cost $3,995. They're worth it for the cookbook inscription alone, which offers "an earnest prayer that no digestive emergencies arise from anything between the covers of this volume," per AbeBooks.