This five-piece bundle of mid-century recipe booklets brings together classic advertising cookbooks from Jell-O, Borden’s, Fleischmann’s, Pillsbury, and Spry. These compact guides caught the eye of home cooks in the 1950s and 1960s and helped define an era of American kitchen culture.
Inside, you’ll find desserts, breads, cookies, molded salads, and baking techniques—many shown with full-color period photography.
Each booklet comes as found, ready for browsing or display.
Quick Specs
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Item Type: Vintage recipe booklet bundle
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Size: Mixed sizes, approx. 10×7 in. largest, 7×5 in. smallest
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Material: Paper; stapled bindings and one spiral-bound booklet
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Color: Multicolor printing typical of 1950s–1960s advertising
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Origin or Maker: General Foods, Borden’s, Standard Brands, Pillsbury, Spry
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Year or Era: 1950s–1960s (see individual notes below)
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GENRE: Culinary ephemera / vintage advertising cookbooks
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Language / Pages: English; mixed page counts
Edition & Features
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Joys of Jell-O — General Foods, spiral-bound, 1960s
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70 Magic Recipes — Borden’s Eagle Brand, mid-century; stapled
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Fleischmann’s Treasury of Yeast Baking — 1962; stapled
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Fun-Filled Butter Cookie Cookbook — Ann Pillsbury, 1950s; stapled
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What Shall I Cook Today? (Spry) — 1950s; stapled
Illustrations/Maps/Plates: Color photography, illustrations, and step-by-step prep images
Extras: Advertisements, baking charts, molded salad ideas, cookie techniques
Condition Grade: Mixed (Good to Fair)
Notes:
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Joys of Jell-O — mild cover wear; spiral intact.
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70 Magic Recipes — clean interiors; light handling.
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Fleischmann’s Yeast Baking — light rub to covers; bright pages.
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Butter Cookie Cookbook — heavy cover damage and edge wear; interior complete.
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Spry booklet — light wear; interior clean.
Sold as pictured; see all photos for detail.
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
These mid-century corporate cookbooks were produced by major American brands—General Foods, Pillsbury, Borden’s, Standard Brands, and Spry—as a way to teach new techniques while promoting pantry staples. Today they’re valued as snapshots of advertising, cooking, and home-economics history.
A fun bundle for fans of vintage cooking and classic food advertising.
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 flat and out of direct sunlight. Avoid damp areas and fluctuating temperatures.
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 booklets, and well-loved kitchen ephemera.
