Mastering the Art of French Cooking

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961. First Edition. Very Good. First edition stated, first printing. A presentation copy with a very important association signed by Julia Child and inscribed to close friends Hadley Richardson and Paul Mowrer on the half-title page, "For Paul and Hadley who were in at the very beginning of this oeuvre - with all my love - Julia / Chocorua - September, 1962." With Paul's ownership signature to the front free endpaper.

Hadley was the first wife of author Ernest Hemingway and her second husband, Paul Scott Mowrer, was an American newspaper correspondent and winner of the first Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence. Hadley had first become acquainted with Julia's husband, artist Paul Child, when she and her then-husband Hemingway were in Paris in the 1920s. After World War II and back in Paris, Hadley, now with her second husband Paul Mowrer became very close friends with Paul and Julia Child.

This was during the formative years of Julia's culinary journey while she was learning and exploring French cooking, a journey which culminated in the publication of this iconic book. Hadley is mentioned in Julia Child's memoir My Life in France, and Julia was matron-of-honor at Hadley and Ernest's son Jack Hemingway's wedding.

Bound in publisher's original white fleur-de-list patterned cloth, lacking a dust jacket. Very Good with fading to cloth heaviest at spine, light soiling and and a few scattered stains to cloth and pages throughout. Pages tanned, several leaves nicked at the bottom edge. Inscribed one year after publication in Chocoreur, New Hampshire where Hadley and Paul lived. A fantastic association copy of Child's magnum opus, inscribed by Child to close friends who were there, as she states, "at the very beginning of this oeuvre