OP: The Tenth Muse
Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Hardcover. Very Good Plus. Third printing, signed.
When your professional editorial career begins with the generation-defining Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961), a steep rise or a sharp fall seems almost inevitable to follow. Fortunately for us, Judith Jones (1924โ2017) was only just getting started and proceeded to edit, apparently, all the culinary luminaries of the twentieth century. After Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle, she edited the likes of James Beard, Edna Lewis, Irene Kuo, Claudia Roden, and Marcella Hazan, to name a few.
This 2007 autobiography is Jones's humble reflection on her โlife in food,โ as the subtitle says. Poignant and engaging, itโs an excellent glimpse into not only Jonesโs life, but also into a golden age of American culinary culture.
Ours is a signed and inscribed third printing in Very Good Plus condition, very slight wear to the jacket.