Mastering the Art of French Cooking (First Printing, August, 1961) by Child, Julia; Bertholle, Louisette; Beck, Simone - 1961

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961. Stated First Edition; Note About Authors dated August, 1961. Patterned fleur-de-lis boards w/turquoise stars, black and white cover and spine titles on orange fields, moderate shelf wear, rub, toning to spine. Pages generally fair with moderate discoloration, page roll, ripple to bottom apprx. 1.5"; several recipe pages with neat, intelligent, relevant notation. Moderate scent of former dampnesss. Turquoise endpapers. Vintage inscription penned at front endpaper: "Love to my darling Wendy, --- 1961." Bind good, fairly square; hinges intact.  Original dust wrapper, moderate edge wear, rub, discoloration, toning; clipped, protected in new clear sleeve. Original first edition design with Simone Beck above Child in titles; 1061 code at front flap. Scarce near good first printing in 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. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. 684 pages w/32 page index and a Note About the Author. Insured post.. First Edition. Hardcover. Fair/Good. Illus. by Coryn, Sidonie (Illustrations). 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Book.