Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Signed Early Printing) Child, Julia; Bertholle, Louisette; Beck, Simone

Rare earlier printing directly signed by Julia and Paul Child at half-title page: "Bon Appetit, Julia Child, Paul Child". Very attractive. 1973 at title page. Stated at copyright: "Twenty-fourth Printing, November, 1973." Patterned fleur-de-lis boards w/turquoise stars, black and white cover and spine titles on orange fields, light shelf wear. Pages very good, clean; few with moderate page roll. Vintage owner's inscription at top of half-title page above Child's inscription. Turquoise endpapers. Orange top-stain, moderate discoloration. Bind good; hinges intact. Dust jacket moderate edge wear, toning, rub; clipped, protected in new clear sleeve. Code 10/61 at front flap. Rare near very good signed early printing in same original 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. 684 pages w/32 page index and a Note About the Author. Insured post. Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall