Pick one cookbook

Please answer: If you could have only one cookbook, which one would it be? Thanks!  Merrily

I gave this careful consideration. My first thought was to go high fa-luting and say "Mastering the Art of French Cooking (2 Volume Set), "  except I don't own it, and never read it (which I'm sure is to my discredit as a world famous chef wannabe).  I went over to the cookbook shelf in the liberry, and perused what must be 100 titles that we've collected over the years.  From these, I selected two for consideration: Better Home & Garden Cookbook The Better Homes NEW COOKBOOK is the one MoSup brought into  marriage.  I had owned just one in my life to that point, The Drinking Man's Diet.  Not that I needed a diet.  My bachelor regimen consisted of working all day, drinking and carousing all night, doing the Watusi at J.O.P.A., or the Fort Story O Club, and occasionally sleeping. Keeps a man fit. Anyway, The BH&G is an excellent cookbook, with recipes for damned near anything American.  Hell, even political progressives will be happy to find a Russian  Borsch recipe (p. 294).  But, I didn't choose this as my one cookbook. HE WINNER I chose the The Escoffier Cook Book A guide to the Fine art of French Cuisine.  And not because I'm putting on airs.  This is the translation of Escoffier's original book, first published in 1903.  When I read Merrily's request, I immediately thought survival, else why would I have but one cookbook, n'est-ce pas? And that's where this book shines.  When Escoffier discusses fuel for the grill, he's not talking about propane.  The cook is advised when to move the pudding to the cooler coals.  There is not a single reference to Jello, condensed milk, or packaged anything.  With this cookbook, a nice Winchester Model 1886, and an iron skillet, you'll do nicely.  Well, your mileage may differ. If memory serves there's a colonist's cookbook out there, but I don't own it.