'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' Tops New York Times Bestseller List

by Alex Van Buren, Posted Aug 24th 2009 @ 5:00PM

Photo: Knopf

In case you were wondering to what extent the mania for "Julie and Julia'" had gripped the nation, Sunday's New York Times delivered the answer.

This August 30, nearly half a century after the book was published in America, Child's classic tome "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" will be listed in the number one spot on the gray lady's bestseller list in the how-to category. The paper reports booksellers selling seven times as many copies in a month as they are accustomed to selling in a year.

This is not a small deal, particularly for the struggling publishing industry. Blogger Julie Powell is of course largely responsible for the surge of interest in the French Chef, and we wonder whether top Knopf execs have been bombarding her with flowers and thank-you notes.

More importantly, we are curious about how many of our own readers have invested in the book because of the blog or the movie. So spill it in our poll: Have you bought Child's cookbook? When? Tell us why in the comments.

Do you own "Mastering the Art of French Cooking?"
Yes, and I've owned it for 5-plus years.	131 (34.2%)
I bought it within the last month and the film inspired me.	55 (14.4%)
No	197 (51.4%)

Tags: julia child, JuliaChild, julie and julia, JulieAndJulia, mastering the art of French Cooking, MasteringTheArtOfFrenchCooking, poll

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-24-2009 @7:51PM CosetTheTable said... I received I and II as a graduation present when I graduated from Smith College-- Also Julia Child's alma mater.
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8-24-2009 @7:06PM Nobodeez Bidnezz said... While a classic, French food is nothing we eat on a regular basis. I'd much rather wait for all the hysteria to die down and find a well loved copy at an estate sale next summer than buy into all the movie hype.
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8-24-2009 @7:09PM Divine Bird Jenny said... Actually, I loved the book and thought about buying a copy of MtAoFC but realized I really never would make anything from it. I am verrrrry picky about which cookbooks I own, and only keep ones I know I'll use over and over. Otherwise, I'd buy it on the strength of J&J!
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