Tempting Kosher Dishes - Manischewitz Cookbook Review - Collectibility

Tempting Kosher Dishes from Manischewitz Co. cookbook cover measures roughly 8"x5" and appears larger in this article's image. As a cookbook collector and seller, I always am surprised to come across a book that I've never seen during my book hunts. This is one of those cookbooks. My mother-in-law gave me this nice promotional Yiddish and English cookbook from the B. Manischewitz Co., a well known kosher products brand in the US (they are the top matzo manufacturer). Many know the company for its sweet concord wine. Anyway, my book is the third edition, published in 1930 and cost $1.50 at the time (wow...imagine that - talk about value going up).

Promotional cookbooks such as this are often produced as pamphlets with recipes including ingredients from the food manufacturer. In this case, Manischewitz published a full hardcover cookbooks that features their products in each of the recipes. There is also a chapter on the Manischewitz Bakeries.

I've never had this book in stock (until now, at the time of writing this) but from all indications the value of the book is between $25-$30 on average. I would imagine a near perfect copy would go a bit higher on upwards of $40 but given the age of the book, most copies will have some shelf wear at minimum. In terms of its collectibility ratings..read on for an explanation of the scores.

Title: Tempting Kosher Dishes Cookbook
Author:
B. Manischewitz Co
Copyright: 1930
Format: Hardcover
Specialization Categories: Vintage, Jewish Cookbooks
Average Price: $25 - $30
Noted Recipes: Chocolate Wine Cake, Matzo Dumplings, Potato Filled Pancakes, Cocoanut Macaroons, and French Coffee Cake.

COOKBOOK COLLECTIBILITY RATINGS RATINGS EXPLAINED

Availability: 4.5
Popularity: 2.0
Investment Outlook: 4.0
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Final Collectibility Factor: 3.5 (out of 10.0)

 

Tempting Kosher Dishes - Manischewitz Co. Cookbook - Availability Rating - 4.5

The book though it may seem rare in comparison to some other vintage cookbooks is still essentially widely available. It's listed on dozens of book seller's websites and a few copies are available on eBay and Amazon.

Tempting Kosher Dishes - Manischewitz Co. Cookbook - Popularity Rating - 2.0

The book is too niche and unknown to have a mainstream following and thus receives a very low popularity rating. Jewish cookbooks overall though are one of the most popular in terms of cookbook collection specializations. I know several collectors and Jewish cookbooks are one of their favorites (see my Jewish Community Cookbooks Checklist if you are interested in collecting Jewish or Temple cookbooks).

Tempting Kosher Dishes - Manischewitz Co. Cookbook - Investment Outlook - 4.0

Now... just because the popularity and availability scores are low doesn't mean the book isn't a good idea for your collection and investment. As I mentioned, the book was priced at $1.50 in 1930. Today it is closer to 20x that original price (granted it's been nearly 82 years). It clearly is a nice book to hand down through the family. Manischewitz is a household name to many Jewish families. If anything, the brand equity of the book alone is of interest.

Tempting Kosher Dishes - Manischewitz Co. Cookbook - Final Collectibility Factor Rating - 3.5

To sum it up, it's evident prices around the web for this book are inflated. I've seen it list from $60 on up. It definitely doesn't have heavy enough demand to warrant that kind of pricing. If first editions of Mastering French Cooking are now going for $25-$50 (since the movie faded from the minds of many), there is no way this book should fetch over $50. Some buyers though don't realize book values. They see vintage and think it's worth a lot of money. I'm not saying it's not a great little book. I am saying supply and demand don't merit a price above the average stated here. Though, for a long term cookbook investment, something to hand down through the family, this might be a very good pick.