OP: The Nero Wolfe Cookbook

The Viking Press, New York, 1973. Hardcover. Very Good Minus. Book Club Edition.        

One of the true great characters of American detective fiction, as every mystery lover knows, was also a devoted gourmand. Nero Wolfe—weighing somewhere in the high-200s—fueled himself with the finest foods. He consumed with abandon shad roe en casserole, duckling in Flemish olive sauce, and crème Génoise. 

The man who brought him to life, Rex Stout (1886–1975), author of some 30-odd mystery novels as well as innumerable novellas, was no slouch himself, spending many long hours in the kitchen to make sure that he and his larger-than-life private eye would suffer no deprivation. 

Actually, looking after Wolfe was mainly in the hands of his sidekick Archie Goodwin, who seemed to anticipate all his needs, and his chef/major-domo Fritz Brenner who turned concept into reality. Food and wine were not the subject of most of the stories, but they were always in the background, setting the tone and sometimes helping define the characters.

The Nero Wolfe Cookbook was written by Stout himself and the editors at Viking Press, who published it in 1973. Surrounding the 225 recipes is substantial narrative for Wolfe’s fans, linking each recipe to a specific story or event. 

The recipes are wide-ranging. Many very high level: lobster cardinal and capon Souvaroff (containing, among other ingredients, foie gras, black truffles, cognac, and Madeira). Others, such as corn fritters and corned-beef hash, are much more down to earth. 

Our copy is a solid Very Good Minus Book Club Edition. The binding is strong. Though the interior is mostly clean and unmarked, the recipes have certainly been tried, as someone penned “terrific!”, “good!”, etc. by favorites. A bookplate has been peeled off the front free endpaper, though most of it remains. The jacket is lightly shelfworn.