1931 (1st Edition) 1975 (6th Edition)
Publisher: Bobbs-Merrill Company
Author: Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker
This cookbook was first self-published by Irma S. Rombauer in 1931, a 54-year-old homemaker from St. Louis. The rights to her cookbook were bought in 1935, and the book has continuously been in print ever since. The book has nine revisions and over 20 million copies have been sold. It is considered the most popular American cookbook and many favor the 6th edition over the others. The use of “Joy” in the title was a deliberate choice as Rombauer wanted to bring light to the joy that can be found in cooking in the midst of the nation facing an economic depression. In addition to the 4,600 recipes in the book, there is also a foreword, information about macronutrients and the amount of calories and proteins in different foods, details about entertaining and menu advice, and tons of other random suggestions such as what to eat while backpacking and different techniques to make coffee. Given that the book is 915 pages long, there is an index and contents to help navigate the book. The book has groupings of about 15-40 pages dedicated to a certain category such as “Cereals and Pastas” or “Stuffings and Forcemeat”. The categories follow a chronological order that begins withs beverages and lighter foods, then eventually transitions into heavier dinner foods and desserts. One of the most interesting aspects of this cookbook is that it is a family book. It was first written by Irma Rombauer with the help of her daughter Marion Rombauer who eventually took the book over after Irma’s death in 1962. Marion’s son Ethan Becker then eventually began helping Marion revise the book, later taking over the book when Marion died in 1976. The aspect of family surrounding this book is apparent in the acknowledgements as the first line is: “Joy has always been a family affair”.
Written By: Alex Kelly
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