NYT: Ode to Joy
Joe M. writes,
Saw this on NY Tiimes Web site. Cool stuff. [T]he book has been very influential in my life. Good Eating!
Seconded from here, Joe — I’ve had, and heavily used, a copy for years. Nice to see that the new edition has more emphasis on the original recipes, too:
The new edition — a sort of greatest hits of home cooking — raises the interesting question of whether a cookbook covering sushi to ham loaf is relevant at a time when the cookbook industry is so fragmented by microcuisines.
In 1997, the last time Joy of Cooking was revised, things seemed to have gone terribly wrong. Recipes from professional food writers replaced many of the book’s old standards, food processors whirred a bit too much and the voice of the cookbook became subsumed. […] The new edition brings back the old voice and some favorites — like tamale pie — but also adds some new recipes, like Mediterranean short ribs with olives, and enchiladas verdes. But mostly it is basics, many of them beloved.
What I’m not necessarily going to do an ode to: the new edition’s cover design. I’m not sure about the big, even overwhelming, red circle — the previous editons’ white covers suited me better. And what’s with the text at the bottom? Sheesh.
No matter the cover design, I’m still glad there’s a new Joy in town. Thanks, Joe!
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Posted by Giles, Thursday, October 19, 2006, at 7:43 AM.
Posted to Book design | Books | Personal
Comments:
Mr. Hoover,
The cover isn’t very appetizing to me either.
Thought they’d do something more tasty for the 75th anniversary.
I have the 1997 version. There are lots of nice illustrations inside. That might have been an area to get the creative juices flowing.
Oh well.
Happy Eating!
VR,
I visited a very interesting site, they have a vast collection of books which have been categories and are presented to viewers in an easy-to-search format. You should check it out.
http://www.khichdee.com/category.asp?catid=11¶id=0
My copy is from 1946 - and it has a blue cover with a diamond design. It is not very attractive, but it is the one cookbook I refer to regularly.…it is really beat up by now.