OP: Weight Watchers Cook Book

Hearthside Press, Incorporated, New York, 1966. Hardcover. 

Jean Nidetch (1923–2015) lived the success/revenge story many husky youths dream of. Overweight all her life, Nidetch hit her rock bottom when she was mistaken for pregnant at the grocery store. After a ten week program at a New York City obesity clinic, she brought her new perspective on effective weight loss home, inviting friends to join her in an informal support group. Her philosophy was one of slow but steady progress, unlike the crash diets all too common both then and now.

Weight Watchers was born in this informal setting, and ten years later Nidetch sold her business for $71 million and continued working as the figurehead and spokesperson of the company. At its peak, Weight Watchers was worth over a billion dollars. 

Marisa Meltzer aptly wrote in The New York Times, “Weight Watchers didn’t just turn her into a millionaire; it enabled her to become the woman she must have always wanted to be. She bleached her hair platinum blonde, divorced her husband, moved to Los Angeles and started dating Fred Astaire.” The rest, as they say, is history.

The Weight Watchers Cook Book (1966) contains 550 recipes that follow the main tenets of the Weight Watchers program, geared toward lifestyle change and nutritious eating. With suggested menu plans, the cookbook takes the stress out of having to think too much on what to make that suits the diet’s requirements. It is an emblem of a burgeoning empire. 

We are tickled to be able to offer a Near Fine copy with a Very Good jacket. Previous owner’s ownership signature to the front free endpaper.