Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol.1

The legendary cookbook that inspired Julie and Julia
'This isn't just any cookery book. It is Mastering the Art of French Cooking, first published in 1961, and it's a book that is a statement, not of culinary intent, but of aspiration, a commitment to a certain sort of good life, a certain sort of world-view; a votive object implying taste and appetite and a little je ne sais quoi. Julia Child was like Amelia Earhart, or Eleanor Roosevelt- she was a hero who'd gone out there and made a difference. Her books are a triumph, and also a trophy' A. A. Gill, The Times