Hide Article Text (OCR)
A cookbook is forever, the publishers used to think. And so, until recent years, almost all cookbooks, with just a few special exceptions were published in hard-covered edi tions. Now, however, interest in cooking has become virtually universal, and tastes have grown in sophistication, pushing up the demand for specialized cookbooks. The result has been an increasing number of paperback cookery titles on bookstore shelves. Among the classic cookbooks, several are now also widely available in paperback. ‘The Joy of Cooking,” the biggest seller ever, for instance, can be had in both a $4.95 trade Paperback and a two-volume $1.95 THE MIDLAND REPORTER-TELEGRAM, SUN., DEC. 19, 1976 rack-size book. Both are published by Bantam. The differences between the two editions of these and other cookbooks are worth mentioning. Rack-size or mass market paperbooks present several practical problems. They are difficult to read while cooking because their formats are small, and often their bindings break if kept open too long on a recipe page. Trade paperbacks, however, are a different Story. They are more sturdily bound, printed on higher quality paper, and generally easier to read because of their larger format — usually the same size as a hardcover book. They are also more expensive than the rack-size. This year's crop of paperback food books seems promising. Several old and critically well-received books have been reissued. There also have been a few books simultaneously published in soft and hardcover, and a few excellent originals. Here is a rundown of the best: Edna Lewis’ “The Taste of Country Cooking’ (Knopf, $4.95), published simultaneously in hard-cover, is a gem of graceful writing with deliciously simple recipes. The book describes Edna Lewis’ food life in her hometown, Freetown, Va. through seasonal family feasts —a mixture of native bounty, African — slave ingenuity and French sophistication (the influence of Thomas Jefferson). This is most reading for anyone who professes an interest in gastronomic Americana, “Simca's Cuisine’ by Simone Beck (Vintage, $4.95). Julia Child's French born collaborator on “Mastering the Art of French Cooking has written a personal book of favorite recipes and cooking hints. Although the recipes are by no means simple to execute, they do provide a glimpse of true French home cooking. Most of the dishes are derived from Normandy, where the author spent her childhood: Provence, where she summers, and Alsace, where her husband's family lives. The recipes are presented in the context of seasonal menus, ranging from informal country meals to gala dinner parties. Another reprint, ‘Feasts for All Seasons’ by Ray Andries de Groot (McGraw-Hill, $7.95), is a massive compendium of every imaginable seasonal food. Although the recipes here are often difficult to follow and the 33 pages of indexes are not very helpful, once you understand the organization of the book it is an in dispensable basic guide for any serious amateur cook. De Groot has a flowing writing style, an extensive knowledge of food and many mar velous ideas on how to feed the family and guests. “The Signet Book of Cheese” and” “The Signet Book of Coffee and Tea are original paperbacks by Peter Quimme ($1.75 each) who is really a diligent husband-and-wire team. Both books are thoroughly researched a include everything you need to know about their subjects. The cheese book, with its dictionary-style listing of cheeses from all over the world, should be particularly handy as a shopping tool. If M.F.K. Fisher has long been regarded as the most literate and delightful food writer America has ever produced. A paperback release of her collected works, “The Art of Eating” (Vintage, $5.95), is therefore, a major event for anyone interested in food. This is the kind of food book, that's meant to be read and re-reades
Newspaper Details
Midland Reporter Telegram
Midland, Texas, US
Sun, Dec 19, 1976
Page 91
Full Page
Clipped by
Marcena V.
USA 03 May 2026
Other Publications Near Midland, Texas
Midland Reporter Telegram
