My favorite Maud Hart Lovelace book is Betsy's Wedding and I was very happy to find a recipe for Lady Baltimore Cake. I don't think that I will be making any of these recipes and I am not sure it was worth ten dollars but it's nice to know that pre-gadgetry, cakes were being churned out; that eases my baking anxiety.

I clearly remember the day about 40 years ago when I talked my mother into buying a bottle of Final Touch fabric softener, a product she didn't even use, simply because it came with this free cookbook. I was 10 then, and dozens of cookbooks later, this is the one I turn to most often. The pages are brown and brittle, and began falling out years ago. I kept the book together with a rubber band, and now use a Ziploc bag. I want to make sure our family's favorite recipes are available to my 3 sons, so I'm buying this edition now. But I won't throw out my original copy with all its happy memories. Beyond all that nostalgia, the cookbook is phenomenal for all its practical, thorough explanations of food selection and cooking techniques. Outstanding value for the new or experienced cook/baker.

Fannie Farmer was a favored ikon during my growing-up years in Ithaca. Later, I inherited her revered & well-worn cookbook, and after copying a few choice recipes such as my brother's favorite Snow Pudding, passed it on to an interested daughter.

Now there are other editions to choose from: Penguin published a mini version you might be able to locate on e-bay. It has the chocolate cake of my childhood that must have been concocted in Fannie Farmer's kitchen but I am still not sure if the directions in this 'mini' sampler match my mother's celebrated dessert. Of course, the great treat then was to lick the spoon - - nowadays that fun is spoiled by warnings that even a smidgen of raw egg will bring on an early death. Well! Whichever version of Fannie Farmer's cookbook you explore, you will have great fun reading how things were 'in the good old days'.

REVIEWER mcHAIKU urges you to read Deborah Hopkinson's amusing story "Fannie in the Kitchen" (isbn: 068981965x). These two books could be paired for a memorable shower OR holiday gift. Don't miss either one!

I LOVE THIS COOKBOOK! My Grandmother owned this book and bought my mom a copy when she was married in 1937. When my grandmother died i got her copy. Now my daughter is 19 and moving away from home. I am buying myself a new copy as I am passing on my grandmothers original book to her. It provides all the basic down to earth information that a new cook needs and is not found in most modern day cookbooks.