I happened to be browsing ebay and noticed that there are alot of the old Wilton yearbooks and cake decorating books and patterns.

As I am new to cake decorating, are these really useful to have or is this more for the collector as some date back to the 70's?

I have gotten some old Wilton yearbooks from Ebay. I like to look through them for cake design ideas and I have found that they do have decorating techniques in them that I hadn't learned in my classes.

I started decorating about two years ago. I have purchased a lot of old wilton books. I have found them to be helpful and full of ideas.

I say the more books the better! When I'm not baking or decorating I'm either looking at books or surfing the internet at cakes! It's addictive!!!!

You'd be getting an unequivocal "heck yeah!" from me. I'm one of those people who can't justify spending more than what's absolutely necessary for anything... but ended up shelling out almost $100 for the three volumes of the Encyclopedia. Worth it? Gaw. Darn straight those books are worth it.

I don't have any of the older yearbooks, but I would guess that if they're comparable to the cakes in the encyclopedias, then those too would be worth it. I have noticed that at least the rose method changed in the mid 70's, and there's tips that Wilton doesn't make anymore (the 220 bell drop flower) but have illustrated in the older books...

...so, yeah. If you feel its a reasonable price for what you're looking at getting, go ahead. The more intensive technicques like extension work and overpiping (Lambeth method) are covered pretty well in the older books; I don't think I've seen either in the newer books (at least back to 2000, anyway). I'm not sorry I spent the money on older books, 'cause it really is a good investment.

My first thought when I opened up my Vol 3 for the first time? "Nobody makes cakes like these anymore!"

Illy

You are absolutely right. You don't see cakes like in the old yearbooks anymore! The Lambeth method is also illustrated beautifully in Mary Ford's books. The first time I got one of her books from the Library, I was amazed at the detail! I am attempting a cake from one of her books for a friend's bridal shower in May. I would love to get all of her books!

Darn rootin' tootin' they are.
I have gotten some off ebay as well!!!!!
And if it werent for those cakes I see, I cant say I would have been so interested in cakes.
Now they are very popular on Ebay!, I cant seem to win the ones I want most ...... the 2000, 1991, 1998 yearbooks. I have 97, 95, 03,04,05 and the pattern books (which I have yet to use) for 03-05. My first cake was a "transfer" cake, not buttercream just traced with gel and put on a cake and decorated from there. I have a website with 10 of the cakes I have done, wish I had the others but they are lost forever!