James Beard’s American Cookery. by Beard, James; Illustrations by Earl Thollander - 1972

Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1972. Early printing of "the bible of American cooking" (Time). Quarto, original cloth, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by James Beard on the half-title page. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Illustrations by Earl Thollander. Jacket design by Elna Rapp. Jacket illustration by Mary Purcell. The Washington Post has hailed American Cookery as "...his chef d'oeuvre...[it] should take a place on the narrow shelf reserved for major American culinary literature." And Time has called it "[t]he bible of American cooking by 'the king of gourmets'." "The beauty of this book is that it allows you . . . to experience firsthand what made James Beard special and unique. His voice can be heard through his no-nonsense recipes and the choices he made that celebrated even simple, humble dishes for what they were: good food" (Colicchio, 2010).