In 1982 Time Life Books commissioned a series of 28 books to be edited by Richard Olney. The series was to be called The Good Cook, and there would be one issue for each major category of foods.
In 1982 I was gifted the first few issues of the series and continued purchasing the rest on my own until they were no longer available. For many years I have scoured used bookstores for those issues I needed to complete my set. I even kept a running list on my iPhone in Notes so that I didn’t accidentally buy one I already owned (spoiler alert: I did anyway, and am the proud owner of two copies of Vegetables).
I have spent many hours happily reading through these books, and a few of the recipes have made it into one of my many binders of photocopied or typed recipes, such as Indian Corn Stew from the Beef & Veal issue, a family favorite that is surprisingly easy to make, contains only a handful of ingredients, and it is very economical to boot!
Today the last book in this series that I needed to complete all 28 issues—Beverages—came into my possession!
I ordered it via a used bookseller and it arrived today in excellent condition. I spent a few hours this afternoon reading it cover to cover, all 176 pages, much like other readers read a novel in one sitting!
As with all the books in this series, the photographs are amazing. The books are bound in an attractive hard cover (different colors for the different categories) complete with a burgundy ribbon bookmark. The text that accompanies each section of the book Beverages is well written and enticing.
It covers all kinds of beverages, including homemade liqueurs which I will definitely be trying in the coming months to sit side by side with my homemade limoncello, cherry bounce, and plum liqueur! I love giving small bottles of these as hostess gifts or an extra treat to include in a birthday or Christmas package!
Some women collect designer handbags, or they covet fine jewelry. Those things are nice, but I couldn’t be happier than I am right now with my now COMPLETE series of Time Life Books The Good Cook! There’s a reason they are hard to find in used bookstores and why the price continues to creep up on used copies sold all over the world via used bookstores and booksellers. It truly is a wonderful collection of cookbooks! But, I’ll let the series speak for itself, as this is posted on the copyright page of each of the books in the series:
Happy reading, and as Jacques Pepin always says, “Happy Cooking!”
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo 
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