North American Basic, All-purpose Cookbooks
- The Joy of Cooking
- The Kitchen Companion
- The Fannie Farmer Cookbook
- Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
- Betty Crocker
- Elizabeth David
- James Beard
- Julia Child
- A Maida Heatter cookbook
- The Settlement Cookbook
- The Original Moosewood Cookbook (veggie friendly)
- A Roz Denny vegetarian cookbook
- Comfort Food
- How to Cook Everything
British Basic, All-purpose Cookbooks
- Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
- Marguerite Patten, Everyday Cookbook
- The Penguin Cookery Book by Bee Nilson
- Good Housekeeping cookbooks
- Pauper's Cookbook (1970s)
- (Prue) Leith's Cookery Bible
- The Complete Cookery Book
- Delia
Other Recommended Highly Versatile Cookbooks
- Larousse Practique
- Reader's Digest's The Cookery Year (British, but listed by someone living in the US, so not sure where to list)
- Madhur Jaffrey's Invitation to Indian Cooking
- The co-op cookbook: Vår kokbok (Swedish staple)
- Silver Spoon (Il cucchiaio d'argento; Italian staple, 50s style, recently translated into English)
- The Frugal Gourmet on Our Immigrant Ancestors
- Rachael Ray's 30-minute books