State Library of Queensland > Collections > Food > Cookbooks and recipes

COOKBOOKS AND RECIPES

A selection of cookbooks: an image from our corporate image library

Culinaria: European specialties (cover title courtesy Bowker Syndetics )

Culinaria: France (cover title courtesy Bowker Syndetics )

Culinaria: Germany (cover title courtesy Bowker Syndetics )

Culinaria: Spain (cover title courtesy Bowker Syndetics )

The Joy of cooking (cover title courtesy Bowker Syndetics )

Perfect Junks by t6mdm, on Flickr

Savour the chef's inspirations by Joan Thewlis, on Flickr

The importance of a good kitchen can hardly be exaggerated – it is the great laboratory of the household, and it ought to be remembered that not only the comfort but the health of the family also is greatly dependent upon the manner in which food is prepared.

Mrs Beeton’s Cookery Book, new ed. 1901

Mrs Beeton's cookery book

Frontispiece
Mrs Beeton’s Cookery Book, new ed. 1901

Some may not share Mrs. Beeton's sentiments about the centrality of the kitchen, but the long publishing record of cookery books suggests that the preparation of food has been a major preoccupation of every generation.

Our collections in the area of food and cooking cover all eras from ancient times to the contemporary day, with some of our books dating back to the early 1800s. Included are international classics like Jules Gouffe’s Livre de Cuisine (1868), Mrs Beeton's Cookery Book (1901), Brillat-Savarin's Physiology of Taste : Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy, as well as the familiar Australian classics like the Presbyterian cookery book and Amy Shauer’s Australian Cookery book - the 1945 edition of which includes recipes for braised and roasted scrub turkey.

Also collected are reference works like the American Regional Cookery Index and the Larousse Gastronomique; standards like The Joy of Cooking and works by renowned chefs and food writers, past and present like Auguste Escoffier, Claudia Roden, Julia Child, Jane Grigson, Elizabeth David, Stephanie Alexander, André L. Simon and M.F.K. Fisher

Videos

See how the experts do it by watching one of our many cookery videos. Included are well-known chefs and authors like Delia Smith, Paul Bocuse and Margaret Fulton as well as significant television series like Food lover's Guide to Australia and Lorenza de Medici's De Medici Kitchen.

Magazines

Databases

Spotted a recipe in a magazine whilst waiting for an appointment? Thrown out that issue of the weekend paper with a recipe you were planning to make? You can find online recipes and articles about food and travel in the databases Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, Masterfile Premier and Newsbank. These databases provide the full text from titles like Australian Gourmet Traveller, Woman's Day, Australian Women's Weekly, Australian House & Garden, Australian Table, Good Housekeeping, Vegetarian Times and the weekend pages and magazines of our national newspapers.

How do I access items in this collection?

Access at the State Library

Find items in the collection via our One Search catalogue.
Browse Levels 2, 3 and 4 or request items from onsite ‘Closed Access’ storage with your e-services card. If you order Closed Access items via the One Search catalogue ahead of your visit, items should be waiting for you when you arrive. You can order up to 3 days in advance. See delivery times for more information.
Use our e-collections computers on level 2 to search the library’s catalogue; to search our databases for electronic journal, magazine and newspaper articles and to view images and manuscripts from our collection. These e-collections computers do not need to be booked and have no time limits on use.
You can also access our electronic resources via the State Library’s free wireless service if you have a laptop. Check our Info Guide on how to access wireless for details.

Access offsite

You can access selected offsite databases to search for electronic journal, magazine and newspaper articles offsite via any Internet enabled device. You will be prompted to login with your e-services card or QPL account.
Some State Library items are available for loan to other libraries. Contact your local library for information about interlibrary loan and copy services.

Search our collections:

Queensland stories

Discover

External links

BBC Food
Cuisine.com.au
Food on Friday (ABC Radio National's bush telegraph)
Slow Food Australia
The Old Foodie blog
World Food Habits (bibliography)

Last updated: 18th May 2012

Creatively engaging people with information, knowledge and community