Larousse Gastronomique First American Ed 1963

🍳 Larousse Gastronomique — The World Authority on Food, Wine & Cookery

The definitive culinary encyclopedia, in its First American Edition: 8,500 recipes, 1,000 illustrations, 1,101 pages of culinary knowledge.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Prosper Montagné, with introductions by Auguste Escoffier and Ph. Gilbert
• Editors: Charlotte Turgeon and Nina Froud
• Publisher: Crown Publishers, Inc., New York
• Year: c.1961/1963 (First American Edition, Book Club Edition)
• Pages: 1,101 | Illustrations: 1,000 (many in full color)
• Format: Hardcover in dust jacket
• Condition: Very Good / DJ Very Good — full report below

THE BOOK

Larousse Gastronomique has been the international bible of cooking since its original French publication in 1938. This First American Edition, published by Crown Publishers (c.1961/1963), was edited by Charlotte Turgeon and Nina Froud and converted for American usage with Imperial-to-metric adjustments and American ingredient substitutions. The book was compiled under the direction of Prosper Montagné, the celebrated French chef, with introductions by Auguste Escoffier — the father of modern French cuisine — and Ph. Gilbert.

WHAT’S INSIDE

The encyclopedia contains 8,500 recipes spanning the full spectrum of French and international cookery, from basic techniques (how to debone a sole, prepare a roux) to elaborate multi-course menus. Entries cover ingredients, cooking methods, kitchen equipment, wine pairings, and regional cuisines. Over 1,000 illustrations — including many in full color — depict everything from mussel preparation to cheese varieties of Europe, bread shapes, and wine-treading scenes from medieval tapestries. The text is presented in dense multi-column format, bilingual in places, with both English explanations and original French recipe titles.

THIS COPY

Book Club Edition, Crown Publishers, First American Edition. Dark navy blue cloth boards with white embossed title on front cover and spine. Original dust jacket present, protected in a clear archival sleeve. The DJ features a warm still-life of copper pots, garlic, herbs, and spices. Some creasing and edge wear to the dust jacket, particularly at spine ends and corners. The cloth boards beneath are in Very Good condition with clean text block. Owner’s bookplate affixed inside front paste-down, dated 1970. A 1,101-page tome weighing 6 pounds — a serious kitchen reference.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Prosper Montagné was the chef who codified much of classical French cuisine in the early 20th century, and Larousse Gastronomique remains the single most comprehensive culinary reference in print
• Auguste Escoffier’s introduction connects this edition directly to the founder of the brigade system that revolutionized professional kitchens worldwide
• The First American Edition (Crown Publishers) is the most collectible English-language printing — later reprints by Knopf and other publishers lack the original jacket art and formatting
• With 8,500 recipes and 1,000 illustrations across 1,101 pages, this is the largest single-volume cookbook ever published in English at the time

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? First American Edition, Book Club Edition, published by Crown Publishers, c.1961/1963. Edited by Charlotte Turgeon and Nina Froud, with introduction by Auguste Escoffier.

What condition is it in? Very Good overall, dust jacket Very Good — navy cloth boards clean with minor spine wear, DJ with creasing and edge wear at corners. Protected in archival sleeve.

How big is it? 1,101 pages, approximately 6 pounds. This is a massive single-volume reference — measure your shelf space before ordering.

FOR COLLECTORS

A serious culinary reference with real shelf presence — the navy cloth boards and colorful dust jacket make an impression in any kitchen or library. This First American Edition with original DJ is increasingly hard to find in good condition. At 6 pounds and over 1,100 pages, it is not just a cookbook — it is an institution.

#### **Condition Report**

Book: Very Good / Dust Jacket: Very Good (protected in archival sleeve)

Dark navy blue cloth boards with white embossed title. Clean, with minor wear at spine head and tail. Board corners mildly bumped. Original DJ present with creasing and scuff marks along edges. Spine head and tail show minor loss. Not sunned. 1,101 pages bright and clean. Binding intact despite the massive weight — slight sagging natural for a tome this size. Owner’s bookplate inside front paste-down, dated 1970.

#### **Book Details**

Author: Prosper Montagné

Introductions by: Auguste Escoffier and Ph. Gilbert

Editors: Charlotte Turgeon and Nina Froud

Publisher: Crown Publishers, Inc., New York

Edition: First American Edition, Book Club Edition

Year: c.1961/1963

Pages: 1,101 with index

Illustrations: 1,000 (many in full color)

Binding: Hardcover in dust jacket

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