- Mastering the Art of French Cooking
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Mastering the Art of French Cooking 
Cover of Volume 1, original 1961 editionAuthor(s) Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle, Julia Child Illustrator Sidonie Coryn Cover artist Paul Kidby Country United States/France Language English Subject(s) Culinary Arts Genre(s) non-fiction Publisher Alfred A. Knopf Publication date 1961 (vol. 1), 1970 (vol. 2) Media type book Pages 720 ISBN 0-375-41340-5 (40th anniversary edition) OCLC Number 429389109 LC Classification TX719 .C454 2009 Followed by The French Chef Cookbook, Simca's Cuisine Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a two-volume French cookbook written by Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, both of France, and Julia Child of the United States. The book was written for the American market and published by Knopf in 1961 (Volume 1) and 1970 (Volume 2).
Contents
History
The book was the result of a collaboration among the three authors (as well as illustrator Sidonie Coryn and Child's husband Paul) and the impetus for Child's long and successful career as one of the pioneering television chefs. Originally published in 1961 after some early difficulties (which are recounted in great detail in Julia Child's memoirs My Life in France as well as Child's introduction to the 2003 edition), Mastering volume 1 (ISBN 0-375-41340-5) was a broad survey of French flavors and techniques, and grew out of the work the three women had done for their Paris cooking school, "L'École des trois gourmandes" (whose logo Child wore as a badge throughout the production of her first TV series, The French Chef); volume 2 (ISBN 0-394-40152-2), released in 1970, expanded on certain topics of interest that had not been covered as completely as the three had planned to in the first volume (particularly baking and charcuterie). Taken together, the two volumes are considered one of the most influential works in American cookbook history, and Child in particular has long been accorded near-universal respect in the cooking world, in part due to these books' influence.
Contents
Volume 1 covers the basics of French cooking, striking as much of a balance as possible between the complexities of haute cuisine and the practicalities of the American home cook. Traditional favorites like beef bourguignon, bouillabaisse, and cassoulet are featured, as are extensive instructions on how to prepare vegetables in a manner more appetizing than the practices of the American kitchen of the 1960s. This volume has been through many printings and has been reissued twice with revisions, first in 1983 with updates for changes in kitchen practice (especially the food processor), and then in 2003 as a 40th anniversary edition with an introduction giving a history of the book.
Some classic French baking is also included, but baking received a much more thorough treatment in Volume 2, which was published in 1970 after Bertholle had gone on to other projects. Also covered is breadmaking, which Child and Beck studied under Professor Raymond Calvel, at the time one of France's recognized experts on bread, and charcuterie. Coryn's illustrations in the second volume were built on photographic work done by Paul Child.
Cultural references
In 2002, writer Julie Powell began the Julie/Julia Project, a popular blog in which she recorded her ultimately successful attempt to cook all the recipes in the book in the space of an entire year. This challenge and that of Child's creation of the book in the early years of her career are dramatized in the 2009 film, Julie & Julia, with Amy Adams as Julie Powell and Meryl Streep as Julia Child. The success of this film, combined with a tied-in reissue of the 40th Anniversary edition, caused it to once again become a bestseller in the United States, 49 years after its initial release.[1]
Editions and Printings
First edition (published August, 1961)
- 1. First printing, August 1961
- 2. Second printing, October 16, 1961
- …
- 6. Sixth printing, May 1964
- 10. Tenth printing, August 1965
- 12. Twelfth printing, August 1966
- 13. Thirteenth printing, December 1966
- 18. Eighteenth printing, November 1969.
- 19. Nineteenth printing, October 1970. Second cookbook by Julia Child and Simone Beck is published and the original book is refereed as Volume One (a.k.a. Second edition)
- ??. Reprinted from new plates, October 1971
- 24. Twenty-Fourth printing, November 1973
- …
- 34. Thirty-Fourth printing (revised), September 1983 (a.k.a. Third edition)
First Fortieth Anniversary Hardcover edition, October 16, 2001 (a.k.a. Fourth edition)
- …
- 14. Fourteenth printing, September 2009
- 18. Eighteenth printing, February 2010
First Fortieth Anniversary Paperback edition, October 2004
- 9. Ninth printing, February 2010
Regular edition of this book has the title ("MASTERING the ART of FRENCH COOKING") and the logo "L'École des trois gourmandes" printed in red. A Book Club edition of this book has the title and the stamp printed in black and white.See also
- La bonne cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange -- cited by Child as a major inspiration
References
Categories:- 1961 books
- 1970 books
- French cookbooks
- Alfred A. Knopf books
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