
In the weeks running up to the release of the film Julie &Julia, we worried (only a bit) that the film might trivialize the iconic American chef, we wondered how the two books My Life in France and Julie & Julia would be woven together, and we looked forward to Meryl Streep's portrayal of Julia Child. When we saw the film last Monday, our worries were erased and our anticipation for Streep's acting was rewarded. It was great fun. But we hadn't expected that Mastering the Art of French Cooking would be a hit alongside the movie. In fact, we barely ordered more copies. The regular versions of the books have been replaced with movie tie-in editions, with photos of the stars included, and there's little in the book world I care for less than movie tie-ins. Besides, didn't everybody who eats already own these books?
Apparently not. This Sunday,
MTAFC will top the NYTimes bestseller list. The weighty, serious cookbook which brought French cooking to America's home kitchens has surpassed sales of the two popular and slightly breezy books the movie was based on, and even Sam's Club and Costco are ordering palettes to be parked next to skids of the toothy Rachel Ray and the slinky Giada Delaurentis.
It's a surprise bestseller. And I really mean surprise. The publisher ran out within what seemed like minutes of the movie opening, and the distributors are still playing catch up (as of this writing, one of our distributors has none in stock, 6000 on order, but 15,000 currently on order with them - so they're already 9000 copies behind). And it warms my heart to see that not even the inventory wizards over at Amazon got this one right, and are taking orders for books they hope will arrive in the next few weeks.
Used copies of the book have been selling quickly also. At Abebooks, only 41 copies of the title are listed for sale, which for a books of this sort - in print for nearly 70 years - is a tiny number. And many of the copies listed are paperbacks, or listed by foreign dealers. Prices have escalated as rapidly as supply has dwindled, with ordinary copies of vol. 1 or vol. 2 selling for two or three hundred dollars. My favorite is offered by the ever amusing dealer, "Extremely Reliable" of Richmond Texas, for $48675 (for the paperback). A near very good copy of the first edition, first edition, sold recently on eBay for around $2300, where someone else lists a first with underlining for $3000.
The good news is that Julia and the book are reaching a new generation (or two) of readers and cooks. It's fun to watch teenagers come in with their parents and ask about the Julia books (it was more fun when we had MTAFC in stock). The kids are excited, and making a beef bourguignon as something they too can do. After all Julie Powell did it, right?
So now we wait for the backorders to arrive, and steer customers to some of Julia's many other great books that we do have in stock. Or show off the first edition, first printing that we have, or the signed Julia's in the case. Or best of all, remember to go back to the MTAFC on our own shelves when we wonder what to do for dinner.