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Hundreds of books on Chinese cuisine have been published over the years. While most are very good, a few stand out from the rest. Ken Hom's Chinese Technique and Chinese Gastronomy by Hsiang Ju Lin's are two examples. And no list would be complete with The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking, by Barbara Tropp. What makes Tropp's book truly unique are the lovely rambling memoirs preceding each recipe, such .
However, times and tastes change, and it can often be hard to find an old favorite at the bookstore. If you're the type of person who just has to have a certain book, this list of online used bookstores may be helpful.
alibris
alibris advertises itself as being the world's leading supplier of hard-to-find books. When it comes to Chinese cuisine, their site is a virtual treasure trove, including an extensive selection of books by good but less well known authors such as Deh-Ta Hsiung and Kenneth Lo. Deh-Ta Hsiung in particular is worth a look, as he has published a number of useful Chinese culinary resources, on everything from vegetarian cooking to festive foods. They will accept international orders, and offer free shipping in the United States on orders of fifty dollars or more.
Half.com
This is really more of a club than a store, where you can buy used books (and sell your own) at substantially reduced prices. At last check it featured a large selection of older Chinese cookbooks. In addition to the books mentioned above, they have several by Martin Yan's from The Joy of Wokking (1982) to the less well known The Chinese Chef (1986). Membership is limited to persons residing in the United States.
Powells City of Books
I first heard of Powells City of Books (called Powells for short) through one of my forum members. Although their selection is somewhat limited, they do have many of the more popular older books. As with alibris, they also sell used books and accept international orders. One note: the taxonomy may be a little confusing at first - it took me a few tries before I located Chinese cookbooks under "International - Asian."
Which Book to Buy?
Newcomers to Chinese cooking may find the vast array of older and used cookbooks a little overwhelming. Here are a few classics that have passed muster both with myself and members of the Chinese Cuisine forum:
Chinese Gastronomy, by Hsiang Ju Lin
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York
ISBN 0156170957
Chinese Technique: An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamental Techniques of Chinese Cooking, by Ken Hom
Publisher: Simon and Schuster : New York
ISBN 067 1253484
Dim Sum, by Rhoda Yee
ISBN 0394734637
Festive Food of China, by Deh-Ta Hsiung
Publisher: Trafalgar Square+
ISBN 1856260208
Florence Lin's Chinese Regional Cookbook, by Florence Lin
Publisher: Hawthorn Books, New York
ISBN 0801526744
Pacific Flavors, by Hugh Carpenter
Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang 1992
ISBN 7280386824
The Key to Chinese Cooking, by Irene Kuo
(One reviewer has claimed that this book is to Chinese cooking what Julia Child's first book was to French cooking).
Publisher: Knopf, Alfred A. Incorporated
ISBN 0394496388
The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking, by Barbara Tropp
Publisher: Morrow, New York
ISBN 0688005667
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