WE BELIEVE YOU WILL GO ON TO UNEXPECTED TRIUMPHS, BASED ON THE SOUND PRINCIPLES WHICH UNDERLIE OUR RECIPES, AND ACTUALLY REVEL IN A SENSE OF NEW-FOUND FREEDOM. (FROM THE INTRODUCTION)

{HISTORY}

The Joy of Cooking is iconic in American culture. What Irma Rombauer started in 1931, when she published the first version of Joy of Cooking, went on to become the most beloved cookbook of all time - a nostalgic favorite that has sold millions of copies throughout its lifetime.

Over the course of 80 years, there have been eight revisions of her 800-page cooking bible. This is the 1967 printing of the 1964 edition, the first version published after Irma died in 1962. It is co-authored by her daughter, Marion, and revised by Marion and her husband, John.  Retaining all of Irma's writing, it was also enhanced by Marion and John, who included new fish dishes and recipes for new favorite foods like Bolognaise sauce.

Two things stand out most about this particular edition and this particular book. First, it's the limited edition Canadian printing of Joy by McClelland & Stewart, based in Toronto. This edition is not easy to find in the US, at least, so it's fun to include it in the shop, where we've also hosted a UK edition and all the American editions that remain so beloved.  

Second, there was quite a bit of publishing trouble surrounding this edition. The first pass-through was published before Marion gave final approval, so several reprints were needed to set Marion and Irma's words right. This 1967 printing has eradicated the typos from previous versions that Marion doggedly wanted to correct.

Because there is so much memory and nostalgia wrapped up in Irma Rombauer and her recipes, it is fun to collect the different editions that spark special meaning to you and your culinary adventures. 

This one is in fantastic condition. The dust jacket is wrapped in a protective mylar covering and the interior coverboards and pages look practically brand-new. So many vintage Joys have spotted and chipped jackets (or no jacket at all) and contain cooking notes and stains in their interior pages - all hallmarks of enthusiastic kitcheners and their love of Irma’s recipes. But with the exception of a couple of cooking spots in the salad dressing chapter, everything about this book says it was once part of the kitchen of a careful cook. That being said, don't be intimidated, go ahead and make some notes, splatter some pages, Irma won't mind. This one’s a storyteller waiting for some culinary adventures.  

Look for other Joy of Cooking editions here, along with more info about Irma Rombauer here.  

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1967 Limited Edition by McClelland and Stewart Toronto
• 849 pages
• New recipes added to this version include Bolognese Sauce, Fish Quenelles, Assorted Pates, Stuffed Grape Leaves, and Baked Kasha
• Illustrated throughout by Ginnie Hofmann and Beverly Warner (and includes the famous how to skin a squirrel illustration!) 
• Includes two red ribbon page markers and original dust jacket

{CONDITION}

In absolutely gorgeous vintage condition, this cookbook looks practically brand new. Very clean and bright throughout, it retains its original dust jacket that is wrapped in a clear protective cover. The dust jacklet contains a small missing section on the edge at the spine and a thin red streak mark on the front covr near Irma's name. The red ribbon page amrkers are in great shape.  There are two small cooking spots on pages 316-317 in the margins but other than that all pages are very clean and bright. The spine is tight, and all pages are intact.

{SIZE}

Measures 6.25" inches (width) x 9" inches (length) x 2" inches (depth) and weighs just a smidge under 3 lbs

{DONATION SUPPORTED}

This heirloom gives back! 20% of the proceeds from the sale of this cookbook will be donated to rare.org - an international non-profit committed to protecting, promoting, and preserving global foodways, communities, and the environment through self-sustainability and conservation.