OP: Joyce Chen Cook Book
J. B. Lippincott Company, 1962. Hardcover. Very Good. Signed.
Restaurateur, cooking show host, and kitchenware designer Joyce Chen (1917–1994) was instrumental in making Chinese cuisine accessible to the hoi polloi during the American mid-century culinary renaissance.
Her only book—the Joyce Chen Cook Book (1962), initially self-published then picked up by J. B. Lippincott—is a magnificent example of a writer who understood her audience. Ample front matter and notes generously and thoroughly explain the dishes, ingredients, techniques, and culture—everything from growing your own bean sprouts to the differences among regional cuisines and how to use chopsticks.
The recipes themselves are rigorous but approachable. You’ll find weekend projects like Peking duck, jellied lamb loaf, or egg rolls—even making your own wrappers if desired. And then there are quick weeknight dishes like beef with broccoli, sweet and sour shrimp, or egg fried rice. In the sixty-plus years since it was published, the Joyce Chen Cook Book does not feel very outdated or misaligned with anything we’re seeing published today.
Ours is signed by Joyce Chen to Robert J. Misch, food writer and longtime chairman of the New York Wine and Food Society. Very Good book block with a stain affecting only the top edge and a lightly soiled case. The jacket is present and price clipped with shelfwear and one large closed tear to the front. Black and white illustrations throughout. A nice association copy.
