Mastering the Art of French Cooking [November, 1961] de Child, Julia; Bertholle, Louisette; Beck, Simone - 1961

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961. Stated second printing, November 1961. Patterned fleur-de-lis boards w/turquoise stars, black and white cover and spine titles on bright orange fields, moderate shelf wear. Pages near fine, clean. Stylish vintage signature at front blank endpaper: "Helen Elwood Lawrence, Washington - 1963." Deep orange top edge. Bind fine, square; hinges intact. Original dust wrapper, some edge wear, rub, chip, spine toning; unclipped 10.00, protected in new clear sleeve. Code 1061 at front flap. Original single volume edition with Simone Beck above Julia's in titles. Very good November 1961 printing in near good wrapper. "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.