Mastering the Art of French Cooking

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1973. Twenty-fourth Printing, November, 1973. Patterned fleur-de-lis boards w/turquoise stars, black and white cover and spine titles on crisp orange fields, moderate shelf wear. Pages near fine; few specks to exterior text block. Bright orange top-stain. Penned to top: "Julia Child - French Cooking". Bind fine; hinges intact. Original dust wrapper with bright crisp spine titles, moderate shelf wear, rub, discoloration; protected in new clear sleeve. "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" is for both seasoned cooks and beginners who love good food & long to reproduce at home the savory delights of the classic cuisine, from the historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas. This beautiful book, with over 100 instructive illustrations, is revolutionary in its approach because: It leads the cook infallibly from the buying and handling of raw ingredients, through each essential step of a recipe, to the final creation of a delicate confection. It breaks down the classic cuisine into a logical sequence of themes and variations rather than presenting an endless and diffuse catalogue of recipes; the focus is on key recipes that form the backbone of French cookery and lend themselves to an infinite number of elaborations bound to increase anyone's culinary repertoire. A note about authors at last page. 684 pages plus index. Insured post.. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. Illus. by Coryn, Sidonie (Illustrations). 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Book.