The Joy of Cooking

"Irma Rombauer first published 3,000 copies of The Joy of Cooking in 1931, for an initial investment of $3,000. Her casual and familiar prose put the reader at ease, earning the love and loyalty from Depression-era women who were having to take the place of professional cooks they could no longer afford. The tone and approach to cooking was joyful and quite a departure from the home keeping and cookery books of the day, most of which were written by home economists." (Source)