“An interest in cooking leads, invariably, to an untidy accumulation of recipes” write Dusha Bateson and Weslie Janeway in their introduction to “Mrs. Charles Darwin’s Recipe Book” (Gliterrati), 2008). And, I might add, “of cookbooks.” If you know someone with “an interest in cooking,” you can add to that “untidy accumulation” this holiday season. Here are some suggestions from 2008.

PERSONAL FAVORITES: My favorites are a hodgepodge of cookbooks that are as fun to read as to cook from. One is “Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters” (Black Dog & Leventhal), which features recipes from handwritten “manuscript cookbooks” collected by Marilynn and Sheila Brass, public television’s “Queens of Comfort Food.” They found the Chicken Potpie recipe, below, in a manuscript left by a North Carolina cook identified only as “The Pie Lady” written on the back of a receipt from a hardware store. Students of Victoriana will love the aforementioned “Mrs. Charles Darwin’s Recipe Book.” Photographs, botanical illustrations, history and recipes remade for the 21st-century cook make this book a treasure.

“The Amish Cook at Home” (Andrews McMeel), knowledgeably crafted by Lovina Eicher, author of a syndicated newspaper column called “The Amish Cook,” gives insight into Amish culture, history and foodways. “The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken” (Norton) will appeal to anyone who has tried to use food as a touchstone for cultural and family history. Author Laura Schenone happens to be Italian, but the family stories, triumphs and traumas that she unearths will resonate with many of other backgrounds as well. Likewise, “Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipe from the Heart” by Pauline Nguyen (Andrews McMeel) is also a memoir of a journey: the author’s escape from Ho Chi Minh City with her family in 1977, life in refugee camp in Thailand, and relocation in Australia.

A coffee-table book with stunning pictures of a French chateau, a “titled” author and crazily simple recipes (try the deep-fried crosissant!), “Decadent Desserts: Recipes from Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte” by the Countess Cristina de Vogue (Flammarion) is gorgeous fun.

GENERAL INTEREST: Kudos to New York Times writer and TV personality Mark Bittman, who has revised his best-selling “How to Cook Everything” (Wiley) for its 10th anniversary edition.

Other books with general, and delicious, recipes include “More Fast Food My Way” by Jacques Pepin (Houghton Mifflin), “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics” by the irrepressible Ina Garten and “O: The Oprah Magazine Cookbook” (Hyperion).

VEGETARIAN/VEGAN: Committed and occasional vegetarians alike will be delighted with a gift of the colorful and compelling “In Season: Cooking with Vegetables and Fruits” by Sarah Raven (Universe). Vegans will be grateful for a copy of “Vegan Express” by Nava Atlas (Broadway Books).

ETHNIC/FOREIGN: Travelers will relish “Olives & Oranges” by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox (Houghton Mifflin), a compendium of Mediterranean recipes, as well as Italian cookbooks “Osteria” by Rick Tramonto (Broadway Books) and “Bold Italian” by Scott Conant (Broadway Books).

“Cuisine a Latina” by Michelle Bernstein and Andrew Friedman (Houghton Mifflin) and “Sabor! A Passion for Cuban Cuisine” by Ana Quincoces Rodriguez (Running Press) add a salsa beat to the kitchen.

The East calls with “Asian Cooking Made Easy” by the editors of Periplus Books, a publishing house that specializes in stunning Asian books. Kyle Books brings us “Gourmet Indian in Minutes” by Monisha Bharadwaj and the truly exotic “Bali Cookbook” by Lonny Gerungan, who is identified as “Bali’s most famous chef.” (You knew that!) Nancie McDermott’s “Quick & Easy Vietnamese” (Chronicle Books) lives up to its name, deliciously.

GRILLING: Get your giftee grilling with the mouthwatering “Italian Grill” by Mario Batali (Ecco) and “Pizza on the Grill” by Elizabeth Karmel and Bob Blumer (Taunton Press).

DIET AND HEALTH: Dieters will appreciate the inspirational, food-loving approach taken by cookbook author (and triumphant weight loser) Pam Anderson in “The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great” (Houghton Mifflin).

“The EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook” by Phil Ades, M.D., and the editors of EatingWell magazine (Countryman) could be just the ticket for your loved one’s ticker; just as “One Bite at a Time: Nourishing Recipes for Cancer Survivors and Their Friends” by Rebecca Katz (Celestial Arts) would be welcomed by cancer patients.

DESSERTS: Bakers will cheer for “Swedish Cakes and Cookies” (Seahorse Publishing). First published in 1945, this happy volume is touted as a “must own” book in Sweden (3.4 million copies sold!) and is now available here. Annie Bell’s well-named “Gorgeous Desserts” (Kyle) delights the eye and the palate, and “Martha Stewart’s Cookies” (Clarkson Potter) is a go-to book: encyclopedic yet approachable.

CHICKEN POTPIE

1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 tablespoon grated onion

1 cup sliced (1/4-inch thick) carrots

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup sliced white mushrooms

2 cups diced (1/2-inch) cooked chicken

1 cup frozen peas

pastry for single-crust, 9-inch pie

1 egg, lightly beaten (for brushing crust)

Melt butter over low heat in a 2-quart saucepan. Add flour, and whisk to blend. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock and half-and-half, and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce begins to thicken, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove sauce from heat, and stir in salt, paprika, pepper and onion. Pour into large bowl, and let cool to room temperature.

Bring a small pot of water to a boil, and cook the carrots 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender; drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan set over medium heat. Add mushrooms, and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Fold the cooked carrots and mushrooms, along with the chicken and peas, into the reserved sauce.

Place the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Spoon filling into a 9-inch pie plate. Gently place crust on top, and crimp edges. Cut six decorative slits in the crust. Brush the crust with the egg. Place pie on foil-lined baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Cut into wedges, and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Recipe from “Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters” by Marilynn and Sheila Brass (Black Dog & Leventhal, 2008)