The none recommendations

It's incredible how both gardening books and cookery books lose their credibility and allure after a time.

For me it's a question of distance in time.

I agree that gardening books and cookery books from say, the second half of the 20th century can seem very dated, but get back beyond the fifties and even into the 19th century and they can be quite fascinating.

How right you are!  For example Fanny Craddock bores me silly but wartime cookery under rationing is so interesting as iare cookery practices from the days when there were servants.