Sales of these books are on the rise in the U.S., influenced by celebrity authors, trendy diets and a little nostalgia. YouTube creator Allisen Byrd sits in front of the camera in her bedroom with a large package on her lap. “I just got the Magnolia Table cookbook,” she says excitedly. “I’m gonna show you what it feels like to open it!” She tears open the box and does a close-up on HGTV star Joanna Gaines’ brand-new cookbook, lovingly running her fingers along the thickly bound spine. Byrd, 29, flips through the pages, ogling over the weight of the book, the beautiful food photography and personal notes from Gaines throughout. “I never buy cookbooks,” Byrd says. “This is something I wanted for myself because all her recipes have been so comfortable.” Byrd’s fondness for Magnolia Table isn’t exclusive to YouTube stars or even millennials. Despite the popularity of food blogs, cooking videos and meal-kit delivery services, Americans are increasingly buying good old-fashioned cookbooks. Five years ago, managing editor at Digg, L.V. Anderson, predicted the death of cookbooks. "Print cookbooks offer nothing that apps, e-books, and websites can’t,” Anderson wrote in a feature for Slate. But Anderson was wrong. | 