# Is "Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Volume One)" by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Volume One) by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle (Alfred A. Knopf, 1961) is identified by: Copyright page carries a 'FIRST EDITION' statement with no later-printing line (Knopf convention: present on the first printing, removed/replaced afterward — the second printing instead states 'PUBLISHED OCTOBER 16, 1961'). The US Knopf single-volume edition (1961) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page carries a 'FIRST EDITION' statement with no later-printing line (Knopf convention: present on the first printing, removed/replaced afterward — the second printing instead states 'PUBLISHED OCTOBER 16, 1961')
- Title page dated 1961 with no month
- First printing of about 5,000 copies
- Patterned fleur-de-lis boards with turquoise stars; black-and-white titling on orange fields; orange top-stain
- Typography, binding, and jacket by Warren Chappell; illustrations by Sidonie Coryn
- First-issue dust jacket bears the '10/61' date code on the front flap and the original printed price (present, not clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1961 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page carries a 'FIRST EDITION' statement with no later-printing line (Knopf convention: present on the first printing… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page carries a 'FIRST EDITION' statement with no later-printing line (Knopf convention: present on the first printing, removed/replaced afterward — the second printing instead states 'PUBLISHED OCTOBER 16, 1961'). Title page dated 1961 with no month. First printing of about 5,000 copies. Patterned fleur-de-lis boards with turquoise stars; black-and-white titling on orange fields; orange top-stain. Typography, binding, and jacket by Warren Chappell; illustrations by Sidonie Coryn. First-issue dust jacket bears the '10/61' date code on the front flap and the original printed price (present, not clipped). The rear 'Note About the Authors' is dated August 1961 and famously errs in stating that all three authors were Cordon Bleu graduates.

## Is this the true first?
The US Knopf single-volume edition (1961) is the true first. The UK edition (Cassell, 1963) is a later 'first thus.' Volume Two (Knopf, 1970; by Julia Child and Simone Beck, without Louisette Bertholle) is a separate work whose own first edition likewise carries a 'FIRST EDITION' statement at the head of the copyright page, and which also appears in later two-volume slipcased sets. Child signed many later printings, so a signature alone does not establish a first printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Beware later Knopf printings that keep the identical jacket art but drop the 'First Edition' line and show a different flap code/price. Book-club printings lack the printed price on the jacket (and typically the '10/61' code) and are on cheaper stock. Rely on the 'FIRST EDITION' statement plus the August-1961 author note, not the jacket art.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Volume One)* by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mastering-the-art-of-french-cooking-volume-one
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.