The American woman's cook book vs The James Beard cookbook: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: American Cookery, American Cooking, Cookery, Cooking

The American woman's cook book Delineator Home Institute. · 1938 ★★★★☆ 4.3 818 pages · ≈ 15 h 09 m · Challenging

The James Beard cookbook James Beard · 1959 ★★★★☆ 4.3 544 pages · ≈ 10 h 04 m · Moderate

The edition is a hard back cover that is blue with white and black lettering that refers to being edited with illustrations by E.P. Dutton in 1970.

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
The James Beard cookbook is the quickest read — about 10 hours vs 15 for The American woman's cook book.
The James Beard cookbook has the widest readership — 362 ratings behind its score.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The James Beard cookbook ≈ 10h vs 15h for The American woman's cook book New to the genre? The James Beard cookbook Moderate vs Challenging for The American woman's cook book

Scores by source

	The American woman's cook book	The James Beard cookbook
Goodreads	4.5 (64)	4.3 (362)
Hardcover	3.0 (1)	4.0 (1)
Apple Books	—	4.5 (5)

Reception

	The American woman's cook book	The James Beard cookbook
Ratings	64	362
Editions	9	10
Citations	—	2
Want to read	—	616
Reading it now	—	1150
Written reviews	—	27
Pages	818	544

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: The American woman's cook book or The James Beard cookbook?

The James Beard cookbook has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The James Beard cookbook 4.3/5, The American woman's cook book 4.3/5).

Which is shorter to read: The American woman's cook book or The James Beard cookbook?

The James Beard cookbook is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The James Beard cookbook (544 pages, ≈ 10 h 04 m); The American woman's cook book (818 pages, ≈ 15 h 09 m).

Which is harder to read: The American woman's cook book or The James Beard cookbook?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The American woman's cook book: Challenging; The James Beard cookbook: Moderate.