The collection of 3,000 titles includes books on cooking, baking, special diets, appliance cooking, entertaining, marketing and management, reference, gastronomy, and wine and spirits. A separate catalogue covers culinary arts, hospitality, travel and tourism. Pictures of the book covers march across the top of each page. Catalogues are clearly marked by topic and then arranged in alphabetical order by title. Sections are not alphabetized, but are short and a Table of Contents at the beginning and author's index at the rear guide the reader safely through.
Descriptions are two or three sentences long, but provide a tantalizing glimpse of book contents.
This jazziest of mail-order businesses offers over 6,000 new books, almost all discounted. Periodic sale catalogues offer further reductions. David Strymish started the business in 1980, naming it after his dog Jessica. The glossy, full-color catalogue pictures all books for sale. Photos and book descriptions are scattered across the pages making it sometimes difficult to determine what goes with what.