OP: The Tenth Muse

 Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Hardcover. Very Good Plus. First printing.

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 (1924–2017) 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 “life in food,” as the subtitle says. Poignant and engaging, it’s an excellent glimpse into not only Jones’s life, but also into a golden age of American culinary culture.

Ours is a first printing in Very Good condition, including the dust jacket.