Ma Gastronomie

Wilton, CT: Lyceum Press, 1974. Quarto (28 x 21.5 cm.), 191, [1] pages. Illustrated. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION & FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDITION. A slim but nevertheless monumental work of 20th century gastronomy, from the father modern French cuisine. The posthumous work (Point died in 1955) is part memoir, part culinary guide and part cookbook. Assembled by Point's widow Mado and published in 1969, the book was published here in English for the first time, and then reissued in English in 2008 with a new introduction by Chef Thomas Keller. Keller writes, "Through Chef Point's words I finally understood and discovered a higher sense of purpose. . . .," High praise indeed from Thomas Keller. In our experience, this was always the book being sought when a young cook, grease spattered and tired-eyed, would enter our shop, saying "chef told me I have to read this book..." Publisher's mustard color cloth, titled in brown, near fine. The near very good brown dust jacket, titled in mustard, has some edgewear and one closed tear. The free front end paper bears a neat ownership inscription, "Betty Hosmer Marwadi". From another book we've handled, we know Ms. Marwadi visited Point's La Pyramide, and other temples of French gastronomy, including Baumaniere, Laperouse, Le Grand Vefour, Le Bossu, and others, in 1955 (long before this work was published).