OP: Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts

Alfred A. Knopf, 1985. Hardcover. Near Fine in Near Fine, clipped jacket. First printing, signed.

Maida Heatter (1919–2019), whose baking career began during World War II when she and her mother made hundreds of dozens of cookies to send to the troops overseas, wrote seven great cookbooks between 1974 and 1995. 

Heatter’s fifth book, which we offer here, is perhaps the most neglected. Different in format (it is a hefty 384-page 8-½” x 11” volume) and overall style, it concentrates on desserts that originated or flourished in the US. Included are such treats as Savannah fig cake, spiced pecan cookies, peach pan dowdy, Charleston cheesecake bars, and every imaginable kind of grunt, crisp, cobbler, crumble, and shortcake. Heatter’s recipe headnotes and comments are great fun—often personal, anecdotal, frequently humorous, and always helpful, reflecting her increasing comfort as an author after the first few books were published and her reputation fully established.

 This is a signed second printing from the same year of publication, 1985. It is unused and in Near Fine condition, save for hints of shelfwear and a price clipped jacket. Nice to have, nice to use.