BARGAINS : COOKING UP A BARGAIN IN USED BOOKS.

Byline: Trisha King & Deborah Newmark

If you're passionate about cooking, you're going to love today's store. Cookbooks by Janet Jarvits is a store stocked only with used and out-of-print cookbooks, thousands of them.

For example, if you're interested in the ``American Vegetarian Cookbook'' by Marilyn Diamond, you'd pay $25 for the book new. The price here is $15.

About 10 years ago, when trying to come up with an idea for a business, owner Janet Jarvits combined her love of books and cooking. To date, her store is the only one of its kind in the country, and if you're impressed with the cookbook selections at some of the larger bookstore chains, wait until you see the selection here.

Out-of-print books are usually more expensive than those still in print, and prices can vary on the same title, depending on the condition. For instance, ``The Gay Nineties Cook Book,'' printed in 1945, with recipes from the Gilded Age, ran $25 with a cover and $15 without.

The store is divided into subjects such as appetizers, soups, special diets, holidays and more. On the international wall, you'll find shelves devoted to everything from Scandinavian and Japanese recipes to Yemen and Sabra cooking.

In the celebrity section, you'll find Paul Newman's cookbook for $6.50; in the literary section, there were titles such as ``Dining with Marcel Proust,'' priced at $24. (It's still in print for $40 new.)

Prices start at 50 cents for small paperbacks and can run as high as $2,000 for a cookbook on royal cooking from the 17th century (Sorry, this one's sold.) In the back of the store, the bargain section has a good selection of cookbooks (including the ``New York Times Large Type Cookbook'' by Jean Hewitt in hardback) priced $5 each or three for $10, and there's always a cart at the entrance with cookbooks priced for $1 each, or six for $5.

Cookbooks by Janet Jarvits is at 321 N. San Fernando Blvd. (between Magnolia Boulevard and Palm Avenue), Burbank; [phone]. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Orders can be placed via e-mail at cookbkjjni.net, and you can also browse their inventory at http://abebooks.com/home/JJARVITS/

Inside info

If you're planning a ski trip soon, stop at Billy's Ski Shop, where you'll find Rossignol 10.4 cut skis with Rossignol FD 60 binding and matching poles for $339.95 (normally $579). The price includes mounting and hot waxing. Billy's also has a large selection of other skis, boots, poles, bindings, clothing, accessories and snow boards at guaranteed lowest prices.

Billy's Ski Shop is at 2260 Honolulu Ave., Montrose; [phone] and 22600 Lyons Ave., Newhall; [phone]. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Shake up your next party and rent a karaoke player from Sing Young. Prices start at $59 for a one-day rental, which includes a karaoke player, two microphones and about 200 songs. (Elsewhere rentals only include 50 songs with an additional cost of $5 per 10 songs.) Sing Young is at 14425-1/2 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; [phone]. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

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Photo: Bargain hunters can find used and out-of-print cookbooks of just about every variety at Cookbooks by Janet Jarvits in Burbank.

Phil McCarten/Daily News