OP: A Treasury of Great Recipes

A highly popular, suave, handsome movie—and, later, TV—actor, Vincent Price (1911–1993) was known for his thrillers and horror films, such as Diary of a Madman, The House on Haunted Hill, Theater of Blood, and The Fly. Another generation might remember him for his narration of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video or his last role as the inventor in 1990’s Edward Scissorhands. 

Beyond acting, Price was known as a skilled painter, an accomplished cook, and a globe-trotting connoisseur of good food. Written with his second wife, Mary, A Treasury of Great Recipes—published in 1965 in a luxurious edition with padded, gold stamped faux-leather covers and printed on heavy tan paper—is a tribute to the western world’s great restaurants, including legendary and now-vanished establishments such as Fernand Point’s Le Pyramide in France, Lüchow’s in New York, and Scandia in Los Angeles. 

Originally published by Ampersand Press, the book was eventually distributed by Doubleday. Oddly, both of those editions bear the same copyright page, which states First Printing with no number line. We are offering here what we believe to be the true first printing, crediting only Ampersand on the title page. Our copy is in an uncommonly seen Very Good Plus condition with minimal rubbing and wear around the corners. The interior is clean, binding tight, and the two place marking ribbons are present.

For anyone with an interest in the development of fine dining in the 20th century, this is a valuable resource. Full-page color photographs throughout represent the state-of-the-art of the day. Also still available in reprint by Dover.