The Family Home Cookbook (1973) — Culinary Arts Institute | Vintage Cookbook Dust Jacket, Illustrated, Culinary Arts

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A hefty, photo-rich classic for your kitchen: The Family Home Cookbook from the Culinary Arts Institute (1973). Compiled by the Institute’s staff home economists under director Melanie De Proft, this vintage reference captures mid-century American home cooking in one generous volume.

Inside you’ll find straightforward recipes, helpful working drawings, 73 black-and-white photos, and 46 color illustrations. Photo-verified with its original dust jacket—ready to cook from or display.

Quick Specs

  • Item Type: Vintage hardcover book (cookbook)
  • Size: 10 × 8 × 2 inches
  • Material: Hardcover with paper dust jacket
  • Color: Gray boards with brown illustration; cream/multi-color jacket
  • Origin or Maker: Lexicon Publications, Chicago
  • Year or Era: 1973
  • GENRE: Cookbook / Culinary Arts
  • Language / Pages: English / 632 pages
  • Identifiers: Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 73-67408

Edition & Features (books)

  • Edition/Printing: Later printing (1973 issue of work first published 1953)
  • Dust Jacket: Present; original printed price $15.00 on front flap
  • Illustrations/Maps/Plates: 46 color illustrations; 73 B&W photographs; 3 pages of working drawings (as stated on jacket flap)
  • Extras: Fun spot illustrations throughout; original title noted as The American Peoples Cookbook

Condition Grade: Good

Notes:

Jacket shows visible wear: edge chipping, short tears, creasing, and small losses at edges and spine ends; light surface soiling/toning. Boards are clean and sturdy with minor shelf wear to corners. Text block edges evenly toned from age; pages clean and legible; binding sound. See all photos for detail—sold as pictured.

Condition Grade Key
Near Fine: minimal wear; tight; clean.
Very Good: light wear; clean text; minor flaws.
Good: noticeable wear; sound reading copy; some marks.
Fair: heavy wear; complete but worn; priced accordingly.

About the Author / Maker: Culinary Arts Institute

Prepared by the Culinary Arts Institute—a long-running American publisher of trusted kitchen references—under the direction of Melanie De Proft with contributions from the Institute’s staff home economists (as credited on the title pages).

Add this generous, photo-packed classic to your kitchen shelf and start cooking your way through time.

Disclaimer

The vintage items I share with you have been previously owned and loved and may show some wear. Please use the pictures as a guide.

While I do my best to capture colors accurately, your monitor or device screen may display colors slightly differently from the actual item.

Care & Handling: Handle with clean, dry hands. Store upright, out of direct sunlight, at about 68°F and 40–50% relative humidity. Avoid damp areas and extreme temperature swings.
Please note: If you have any questions or need more photos, ask.

About Reading Vintage

At Reading Vintage, I curate one-of-a-kind treasures for book lovers, decorators, and collectors—including vintage books, retro bookends, and charming collectible pieces.

Good to Know Before You Buy

Yes. Every photo on this page is the actual item you will receive. Not a stock photo, not a similar copy. What you see is what ships.

Honestly. This is vintage, so expect some age. When I find wear, writing, stains, loose pages, chips, or missing pieces, I note them and show them in the photos. Some marks add character. Some are just flaws. I tell you which is which so you can decide if this is the right one for you.

With care. Old books and fragile pieces are wrapped and boxed so they arrive the way they left me. Careful packing is one of the things buyers mention most in their reviews. Orders of $35 or more ship free.

Probably not. Everything here is one of a kind, and I rarely find the same item twice. Once it sells, it is gone. Vintage does not restock neatly.