I spend a lot of my spare time thinking about, and cooking, food which unsurprisingly extends itself onto my bookshelves.
Some of my picks would include:

Fergus Henderson ‘Nose to Tail’ and ‘Beyond Nose to Tail’. These are the cookbooks from St John. Some splendid baking and ice creams in the latter text with some brilliant British dishes comprised of the more grisly cuts of meat.

Giorgio Locatelli ‘Made in Italy’. A good primer on Italian cuisine for the home cook.

Julia Child ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ (1 & 2). Essential books for anyone wanting to try their hand with French cuisine. After purchasing these and inevitably becoming a Francophile, splash out on ‘Larousse Gastronomic’.

For larger, coffee table cook/food books I've acquired quite a number focusing on some of the finest (or ponciest dependant on view) restaurants and chefs in the world. The books within this category which stand head and shoulders above their peers are those by Thomas Keller. The ‘French Laundry Cookbook’, ‘Bouchon’ and ‘Ad Hoc at Home’ (the last being complete opposite of the former two in content but matches the production values) are splendid works with beautiful photography and quality printing. Give ‘Under Pressure’ a miss though unless you have a sous-vide setup or are seriously interested in the process. Most importantly with Keller, and something which I've found not to be the case in others of their ilk, the recipes are achievable and they work. Others I have found to not always give good enough detail on small intricate step or complete omissions which result in not giving the perfect finish which the chefs are famed for. Perhaps ruses to protect their secrets or maybe carelessness but either way not fulfilling a cookbook’s role.

George Orwell ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’. My favourite work by Orwell. Included herein for his experiences in hellish Parisian kitchens with characters as distinct as Dickens could conjure. The later half recounting Orwell's time as a tramp in London is equally as illuminating and thoroughly recommended.

John Lanchester ‘A Debt to Pleasure’. Possibly one of my favourite novels and some of the best food writing in fiction I’ve ever enjoyed. Don’t be fooled if you have found his Guardian restaurant reviews are lacking; this is well worth a punt.

Anthony Bourdain ‘Kitchen Confidential’. I don't particularly like Bourdain although everyone else I speak with seems to. I found one or two moments of value in a smattering of anecdotes which don’t revolve around him telling you how brilliant he is. He also gives some good practical tips (want to make a dish better? Consider adding a shitload of butter and shallots) but I just can't get over quite how much he likes himself, how his self-serving tall tales smarm off the page. He is the grandfather of the archetypal QOTWer. We should all sit up and take note. (If you get his Les Halles cookbook, which in fairness isn’t too bad, beware of the weight conversions which are wrong and stick with metric or convert it yourself).

Michael Ruhlman ‘Ratio’. Excellent work examining the building blocks of cooking and the ratios which go into the ingredients creating them. I felt it rethought our mainstream approach to food prep and gave me fresh perspective, providing me with a working toolkit to use in any kitchen, anywhere.

Jeff Potter ‘Cooking for Geeks’. This is one which should appeal to any loyal B3tan and sits happily alongside Harold McGee's much more hefty ‘On Food and Cooking’. Potter gets more of an airing than McGee with much more accessible science/geekery for the layperson. It’s full of fun projects to fill up an afternoon which has seen me making hot marshmallows and fat washing some bourbon with bacon fat, that one led to the creation of the BLTini (tastes far better than it sounds).

Bon appétit.
( Pig Bodine., Wed 11 Jan 2012, 14:01, 4 replies)

I am so ruined by B3ta
that I was shocked that didn't turn into an Anthony Worrell Thompson joke.
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Wed 11 Jan 2012, 14:13, closed)

Kitchen Confidential is brilliant, by the way.
The fact that Bourdain has admitted that he made some of it up somehow doesn't manage to ruin it.
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Wed 11 Jan 2012, 14:15, closed)

What a wasted oppportunity!
*hangs head in shame*
( Pig Bodine., Wed 11 Jan 2012, 14:22, closed)

I'm going to fucking eat you.

( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Wed 11 Jan 2012, 14:27, closed)

Might I suggest adding a shitload of butter and shallots?

( Pig Bodine., Wed 11 Jan 2012, 14:28, closed)

You are a B3tan
therefore by default, you have already added that to your diet in the last 5 minutes.
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Wed 11 Jan 2012, 14:31, closed)

Oh boy oh man oh boy.

( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Wed 11 Jan 2012, 15:44, closed)

got to say
i loved Bourdain's No Reservations series. he's like a culinary Clarkson.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Wed 11 Jan 2012, 15:10, closed)