Julia Child says yes. I say no.

Back when I was still in graduate school and living on a considerably severer budget than I am now, I did not buy cookbooks. Instead, I got them out of the library and typed up any recipes I thought I might like to fit when printed on an index card. Actually, this is not a bad strategy, if you don’t count the loss of valuable time in typing. I still vet potential cookbook purchases at the library.

Anyway, I ran across a reference to a revered French cookbook, Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells...