This is an omnibus in the Joy of Cooking tradition; you'll notice it's the same size and thinckness as the Joy, sells for about as much, and is clearly targeted at the same market segment. Both books purport to briefly cover every kind of food that Americans used to cook, cook now or ought to cook.

However, while the sizes of the two books are the same, the type in Bittman's book is much larger. His recipies are actually quite good, but HTCE simply lacks the depth of the Joy ... and who needs two omnibuses? (Well, maybe we do; my wife prefers Bittman.)

In the place of three generations of Rombauers' experience, Bittman gives us a you-can-do-it boosterism and a careful accounting of the 'quickness' of various dishes for today's busy people. I'm sure this is great stuff for somebody, but I already know how to cook and I find the tone slightly condescending. And if I was in that kind of hurry, I'd eat out.

Apart from the type size, the other notable difference between these two books is the binding -- our copy of Bittman's book fell apart after a few years of kitchen use, while the Joy keeps on punching. Shame on Wiley for cutting corners -- a working cookbook needs a good binding.