My go to is the first American edition of Larousse Gastronomique. It's more like an encyclopedia than a cookbook. It does have tons of recipes, but they are in a condensed, basic form. For recipes this book expects that you know the techniques involved, though it also explains the techniques involved; you just have to look those up as well. What is most amazing about this book is that even if some talking head on a Food Network show pronounces a dish as some new, amazing creation never before seen, you will probably find the recipe or a mention of the very same dish in this book (except for some crazy molecular gastronomy stuff)...and the first American edition was printed in 1961. The French version is actually much older. It's not something you'd want to read front-to-back, but as a reference it is comprehensive and outstanding.