The points of issue
Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later printings listed (Knopf convention: the statement is present on the first printing and removed on later printings). Patterned fleur-de-lis boards with turquoise stars; black-and-white titling on orange fields; orange top-stain. Dust jacket front flap bears the code '10/61' and the unclipped price of ten dollars. The rear 'Note About the Authors' is dated August 1961 (and erroneously states all three authors graduated from the Cordon Bleu). Typography, binding, and jacket by Warren Chappell.
Is this the true first?
The US Knopf single-volume edition is the true first, published 1961. The UK edition (Cassell, 1963) is a later 'first thus.' Child also signed many later printings, so a signature alone does not establish a first printing.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Beware later printings that retain the identical jacket art but lack the 'First Edition' statement and show a later flap price code. Book-club and later trade printings drop the 'First Edition' line.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Volume One) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later printings listed (Knopf convention: the statement is present on the first printing and removed on later printings). Patterned fleur-de-lis boards with turquoise stars; black-and-white titling on orange fields; orange top-stain. Dust jacket front flap bears the code '10/61' and the unclipped price of ten dollars. The rear 'Note About the Authors' is dated August 1961 (and erroneously states all three authors graduated from the Cordon Bleu). Typography, binding, and jacket by Warren Chappell.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Knopf single-volume edition is the true first, published 1961. The UK edition (Cassell, 1963) is a later 'first thus.' Child also signed many later printings, so a signature alone does not establish a first printing.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Beware later printings that retain the identical jacket art but lack the 'First Edition' statement and show a later flap price code. Book-club and later trade printings drop the 'First Edition' line.
I have a first edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Volume One) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.