Kim Severson, The New York Times Published: 03 Mar 2021 11:35 AM BdST Updated: 03 Mar 2021 11:35 AM BdST FILE -- The Tipsy Texan sandwich from Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas, March 7, 2017. The cookbook from the owners of Franklin Barbecue rose from the publisher’s backlist to become a surprise pandemic darling among cooks. (Drew Anthony Smith/The New York Times). The books that America cooked from during 2020 will stand as cultural artifacts of the year when a virus forced an entire nation into the kitchen. "); } The pandemic has been good to cookbooks. Overall sales jumped 17% from 2019, according to figures from NPD BookScan, which tracks about 85% of US book sales.