Handwritten Recipes: A Bookseller's Collection of Curious and Wonderful Recipes Forgotten Between the Pages

Arrived quickly, in good condition. Bought as Christmas gift, it's a neat little book, might get one for myself.

HANDWRITTEN RECIPES is a book of serendipitous discoveries, not a cookbook or recipe book--it is a fun collection of recipes found tucked into used books. I purchased it because handwritten recipes are always recipes that someone has asked a friend or relative for. They are recipes for dishes that have been taste-tested and enjoyed at someone's home, or family recipes written down for the newest cook in the latest generation.In this collection, there are photos of the original handwritten recipes, along with the covers of the books they were found in. The handwriting reminds me of the handwriting on the recipes in my mother's kitchen "recipe drawer". And the book covers often raise questions. Why is a simple recipe for "scalloped tomatoes" tucked into MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING? What is "fudge cake" doing in a copy of Jude Deveraux's LOST LADY? How did "Jewish apple cake" end up in William Howard Taft's JAPAN AND THE FAR EAST CONFERENCE?For many of the recipes, you need to know something about cooking to prepare them, because the directions (and possibly the ingredients lists) are incomplete. The recipes are divided into breads, side dishes, main dishes, and desserts. Some recipes are so ordinary that you hardly need a recipe, but there are also some real gems.I definitely want to try the "pineapple date bread" (a quick bread with canned crushed pineapple, chopped walnuts and dates, oven-baked for 55 minutes), and maybe the "macaroni loaf" (cooked elbow macaroni and chopped cabbage in lemon gelatin, seasoned with prepared mustard, vinegar, mayonnaise, and pimiento). Well, maybe NOT the macaroni loaf--I kind of remember that one (a "molded salad") from my own family Thanksgivings!I can't help wondering about the people who left the recipes in the books--did they ever hunt for the lost recipes? Thanks to the bookseller/blogger who has gathered them up and published them, the recipes are no longer lost.

Through the years, a used-book seller kept track of the recipes that he found tucked away in the books that came through his shop. He also kept track of the books in which he found them. He put it all together in a book: Interesting idea; cute idea; but to what end?Yes, it was interesting to turn the pages and see a picture of the recipe, whether on a card, or envelope, or scrap of paper; and to see next to it a picture of the book in which it was found. But the "interest" ends there: The author did not reminisce on the people who brought the books in, nor did he search out, then tell us, the story behind the recipe and how it came to be in the book. (Sometimes he contacted a blogger to gain some info on the recipe's ingredients.) Plus, the recipes are nothing special. I can count on one hand the recipes I found that interested me enough to try. Yes, I suppose one could call a few of them "curious". Calling the recipes "wonderful" is quite a stretch.I bought this book because I collect old recipes--I search for them at estate sales and have had a lot of fun in the process. This book has been a disappointment for me; I had hoped for more. I suggest you try to get a hold of a copy through your local library before making a purchase. I actually regret that I bought this one, and I give it 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.If you are in search of some worthwhile heirloom recipes, (that have been updated for today's available ingredients) check out this cookbook:  Heirloom Cooking With the Brass Sisters: Recipes You Remember and Love ; and here is another one by the same authors:  Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters: More than 100 Years of Recipes Discovered and Collected by the Queens of Comfort Food(TM) . I recommend the "Cooking" one because I cook from it and I especially love the stollen recipe in that book.

Some reviewers have expressed disappointment in this little book, but I'm glad I decided to buy it in spite of the negative comments. If you've ever smiled with delight when you found a handwritten recipe or clipping tucked away in a used book -- and speculated about how it came to be saved and then lost -- you'll enjoy this collection in exactly the same way. No lofty aims here, no major lost recipes rediscovered, just a sort of gentle, "Oh, look here at what I found between the pages." In most cases there's a picture of the original clipping and of the book in which it was found along with the transcription. For recipes with missing or unreadable pieces, Popek found someone to try out the dish and report on the results. If your curiosity is intrigued by the very IDEA of this odd little book, you'll be pleased that you gave in and ordered it.

Even if you don't cook, this is a wonderful peek into other people's lives. The premise: you buy a used book, get it home, and find a recipe stuck inside it somewhere. Maybe it was used as a bookmark and forgotten in time."Handwritten Recipes" is an actual collection of those recipes, with pictures of the original, handwritten (or typed) recipes along with the books they were found in. Throughout the book, Michael Popek (who states he isn't a cook and doesn't even play one on T.V.) has plucked out certain recipes and sent them along to foodie bloggers for their take on the recipe and how they tweaked it. Really great stuff.I can't wait to try a couple of these recipes.

The book is exactly as it was portrayed online. It is a gift for my daughter and I can't wait to give it to her.

Nice book, but faded on the front.

I love reading cookbooks and rummaging through recipe boxes and book stores so this book was for me. It is interesting not only to see what recipes are included but what books they were found in. The journey many of them make is also intriguing. Though I haven't tried any, this book inspired my cooking. Quick read and very fun.

It is not a cookbook andI am a cookbook lover. Maybe it is fun, but I don't see the fun.

I like recipe books and collect. I haven't used this one yet. I like to read recipe books like other people read novels. I do make some of the items.

I love finding things in old books. I really enjoyed this book, very interesting and fun.