# Is "Larousse Gastronomique (first English-language edition)" by Prosper Montagné (edited/translated by Nina Froud and Charlotte Turgeon; introductions by Escoffier and Philéas Gilbert) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Larousse Gastronomique (first English-language edition) by Prosper Montagné (edited/translated by Nina Froud and Charlotte Turgeon; introductions by Escoffier and Philéas Gilbert) (Crown Publishers, 1961) is identified by: First English-language edition: Crown Publishers, New York, 1961; thick quarto encyclopedia, an Anglo-American translation of the 1938 French text with added food-science entries and English/American measurements. The true first of the WORK is the French Éditions Larousse edition (Paris, 1938), edited by Prosper Montagné with Dr.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English-language edition: Crown Publishers, New York, 1961; thick quarto encyclopedia, an Anglo-American translation of the 1938 French text with added food-science entries and English/American measurements
- Copyright page without later-printing data
- Blue cloth binding with a row of fleurs-de-lis and white inlay lettering on the front board and spine
- Publisher imprint reads Crown Publishers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Prosper Montagné (edited/translated by Nina Froud and Charlotte Turgeon; introductions by Escoffier and Philéas Gilbert) |
| Publisher | Crown Publishers |
| Year | 1961 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English-language edition: Crown Publishers, New York, 1961; thick quarto encyclopedia, an Anglo-American translation of the 1938… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First English-language edition: Crown Publishers, New York, 1961; thick quarto encyclopedia, an Anglo-American translation of the 1938 French text with added food-science entries and English/American measurements. Copyright page without later-printing data. Blue cloth binding with a row of fleurs-de-lis and white inlay lettering on the front board and spine.

## Is this the true first?
The true first of the WORK is the French Éditions Larousse edition (Paris, 1938), edited by Prosper Montagné with Dr. Alfred Gottschalk. The 1961 Crown is the first English-language edition (a 'first thus') and is the earliest English appearance — there is no simultaneous 1961 UK edition. The London Paul Hamlyn issue appeared in 1963 (reported as an early impression of the first English edition), so it does not share precedence. Distinguish from the heavily revised 1988 and later English editions.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Numerous later English reprints and the 1988 and subsequent revised editions are not the 1961 first English. The 1938 French first is a separate, far scarcer collectible.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Larousse Gastronomique (first English-language edition)* by Prosper Montagné (edited/translated by Nina Froud and Charlotte Turgeon; introductions by Escoffier and Philéas Gilbert) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/larousse-gastronomique-first-english-language-edition
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.