The most expensive cookbook sale we can document is a 1931 first edition of The Joy of Cooking, which sold for more than $46,000 at auction in 2017. The ten entries below mix real auction results with the priciest limited-edition cookbooks ever priced for sale, ranked by what was paid or asked, as of October 2026. No rare cookbook has a confirmed sale above that figure on pages we opened, although rare early editions by Scappi and Apicius are the likeliest to beat it.
| Rank | Item | Price (USD) | Date | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Joy of Cooking, 1931 first edition | over $46,000 | 2017 | Auction (house not named in our source) |
| 2 | Cookbook of the Pope’s Secret Chef (Bartolomeo Scappi, circa 1570) | $18,750 | October 2019 | Christie’s |
| 3 | About 200 books on cooking and entertaining | $17,500 | November 2014 | Sotheby’s |
| 4 | Eight cooking titles from Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s library | $15,300 | January 2022 | Bonhams |
| 5 | Utsav by Vikas Khanna | about $13,000 | 2015 launch | Cannes Film Festival launch (list price) |
| 6 | Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child, first edition | $7,500 | 2019 | Auction (house not named in our source) |
| 7 | Pizza from Scratch by David Esselmont | $2,400 to $4,800 | 2018 | Direct from the maker |
| 8 | Dom Pérignon 1998 The Collection | £1,000 each | 1998 edition | Dom Pérignon |
| 9 | Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking | roughly $625 at last record | 2011 publication | Retail |
| 10 | elBulli 2005-2011 by Ferran Adrià | about $487 (2013 price) | 2013 | Retail |
How to read this list: entries one to four are auction results, one is a collection lot, and the rest are list prices from limited editions or retail. The ranking is by amount paid or asked, and the type is labelled in each entry.
1. The Joy of Cooking, 1931 first edition: over $46,000
Irma Rombauer first printed The Joy of Cooking herself in 1931, so the first edition is a self-published book with a tiny print run. A copy fetched more than $46,000 in 2017.
The book then became the best-selling American cookbook through later editions, which is why the first printing is the one collectors chase.
How we valued it: reported auction price; buyer’s premium not stated.
2. Cookbook of the Pope’s Secret Chef (Bartolomeo Scappi, circa 1570): $18,750
Bartolomeo Scappi cooked for Pope Pius V, and his work is a major name in Renaissance cooking. A circa-1570 copy sold at Christie’s for $18,750.
Scappi’s own large book of 1570 and later editions are among the likeliest rare cookbooks to reach higher prices.
How we valued it: auction price as reported.
3. About 200 books on cooking and entertaining: $17,500
A collection rather than a single title: roughly 200 books on cooking and hosting, sold as one lot.
It is the oldest sale on the list and shows that collectors buy cooking libraries as a set.
How we valued it: auction price for the lot, as reported.
4. Eight cooking titles from Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s library: $15,300
Eight cookbooks and food titles from the library of the late Supreme Court justice, sold as a lot.
The price reflects provenance: the books were prized because of whose shelves they came from.
How we valued it: auction price for the lot, as reported.
5. Utsav by Vikas Khanna: about $13,000
The chef Vikas Khanna launched this limited edition at Cannes. The most expensive version was reported at $13,000, with a poem embossed in gold ink.
It was billed at the time as the most expensive cookbook in the world, a list price rather than an auction result.
How we valued it: reported list price at launch.
6. Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child, first edition: $7,500
The 1961 first edition of Julia Child’s book sold for $7,500 in 2019.
It is the one on this list that most cooks own a later copy of.
How we valued it: reported auction price.
7. Pizza from Scratch by David Esselmont: $2,400 to $4,800
Only 40 copies were made, each handmade by the artist. The standard copy was priced at $2,400, and five goatskin-bound copies sold for $4,800 each.
It was described as possibly the most expensive new cookbook in the world in 2018.
How we valued it: reported list and sale prices.
8. Dom Pérignon 1998 The Collection: £1,000 each
Only 30 copies of this cookbook were produced, covered in sea-green Galuchat leather from a rare Japanese ray. The company billed it as the most expensive cookbook ever produced.
We have not confirmed the exact publication date, so we date it by the edition name.
How we valued it: reported list price of £1,000 per copy.
9. Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking: roughly $625 at last record
Nathan Myhrvold’s work runs to five volumes plus a Kitchen Manual and 2,438 pages, and it has been translated into Chinese, French, German and Spanish.
The first volumes cover the science, and the recipes appear near the end.
How we valued it: price from our earlier version of this article, not re-verified; the publisher’s page did not list a price.
10. elBulli 2005-2011 by Ferran Adrià: about $487 (2013 price)
Seven volumes, one for each year of the restaurant’s last operating seasons. A 2013 listing put the set at $487, when the Modernist Cuisine set was the price leader.
It documents a kitchen that closed, which keeps demand steady.
How we valued it: 2013 listing price; not re-verified.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
We found no record cookbook sale from 2025 or 2026 on pages we opened. The reported record remains the 1931 Joy of Cooking at more than $46,000 from 2017, with the Scappi sale of October 2019 as the best-documented single rare title.
What drives these prices
- First editions of books that became classics. The Joy of Cooking and Julia Child both fetch money for their first printings.
- Renaissance and early printed books. Scappi-era cooks are the oldest and scarcest.
- Provenance. A famous owner’s library lifts a lot well above the normal price of the books.
- Tiny print runs. Limited editions with 30 or 40 copies are priced like art objects.
- Collections. Auction houses can sell a whole library for more than any single modern book.
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What is the most expensive cookbook ever sold?
The most expensive documented sale is a 1931 first edition of The Joy of Cooking, sold for more than $46,000 in 2017.
What is the most expensive old cookbook sold at Christie’s?
A circa-1570 Bartolomeo Scappi cookbook, called the Cookbook of the Pope’s Secret Chef, sold for $18,750 in October 2019.
What is the most expensive new cookbook?
Limited editions such as Utsav, reported at $13,000 in 2015, and Pizza from Scratch at $2,400 to $4,800 in 2018, have been billed as the world’s priciest new cookbooks.
How much is a first edition of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking worth?
One sold for $7,500 at auction in 2019.
Is Modernist Cuisine expensive?
It is five volumes plus a Kitchen Manual and 2,438 pages, and it was priced at several hundred dollars. Check the publisher for current pricing.
Why are old cookbooks valuable?
Rare first printings, famous owners and tiny print runs drive prices, not the recipes.
How we put this list together
Cookbooks are ranked by the price paid or asked, using auction results and published list prices compiled in an internal valuation model. Prices are approximate and change over time.
Last updated: October 2026.
