Vintage 1943/1945 The Joy of Cooking Irma S Rombauer Hardcover Inscribed
$181 · Offered by eBay
First edition · Signed
Up for sale is a classic vintage 1940s edition of The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer featuring the iconic blue crosshatch/diamond cloth cover. Edition Note: Please note that this is not a First Edition (the true 1st edition was self-published in 1931 with a green cover, and the 1936 first trade edition featured Saint Martha on the cover). This copy is the iconic 1943 wartime revision/printing, as identified by the blue geometric grid cloth cover. Inscription & Context Note This copy features a handwritten presentation inscription on the front endpaper dated October 20, 1945: "To Viola With love — Blanche NORMAN" Inscription Details: The handwritten inscription originally read "To Viola With love — Blanche". The surname "NORMAN" was added in a different hand/style at a later date so as not to confuse the gift-giver with the author's daughter-in-law (Marion Rombauer Becker). Provenance: The inscription reflects personal provenance from the original owner/giver and is not associated with the author's immediate family. Condition Report Cover & Spine: Showing visible age and shelf wear. Heavy wear and fraying along the top edge of the spine, with exposed cloth backing along the hinge (see close-up photos). Binding: The internal hinge at the endpaper is split/cracked, exposing the netting beneath (see photos). Pages remain intact and attached. Pages: Toning and age-appropriate yellowing consistent with mid-1940s paper stock. Free from major stray writing or heavy kit
- Publisher: Vintage Books
- Year: 1943
- Binding: Hardcover
- Condition: Good
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