Basic cookbooks with great results

For my dear soon to be married Clam...

Another good one for starters, in addition to your Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook

http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook-Revised/dp/193361501X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216680896&sr=1-1

This one is good and gets better over time, especially with kids and leftovers to contend with. You will go back to this one again and again - read it gradually, then when you are at a loss for ideas, suddenly an idea you learned from it will pop into your head. (Ok, maybe that's just me...) You can get a gently used version of this one for next to nothing on Amazon. She has several other titles (for entertaining and dieting, among other things) which I don't own, but I'd imagine are also good stuff!

http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Without-Book-Techniques/dp/0767902793/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216729748&sr=8-1

And then there's this one - it's out of print but still available on Amazon for less than $5 (used) to $25 (new). I'm surprised a new edition hasn't been done, frankly. All those interesting-sounding recipes you find on product labels? Here they are! (Love this one!)

http://www.amazon.com/Great-American-Favorite-Cookbook-Collectors/dp/0785361804/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216730586&sr=8-3