These Are the 9 Most Valuable Cookbooks You Can Own

While so many recipes have moved online these days, there’s something wonderfully nostalgic about taking a cookbook down from the kitchen shelves, flipping through its timeworn pages—often splattered with ingredients from previous meals—to make a favorite holiday dish or a crowd-pleasing family dinner . Some cookbooks, however, have more than just sentimental value, says Matthew Raptis of Raptis Rare Books in Palm Beach, Florida, and are sought after by collectors.

Per Raptis, there are a few common themes when it comes to what makes a vintage cookbook particularly sought after. "In general, collectors are drawn to volumes that mark a culinary milestone or preserve traditions that have become rare or vanished," he says. Beyond that, early American cookbooks, French haute-cuisine