The Tenth Muse

The Tenth Muse
Jones, Judith

Knitting Sticks: 4

Judith Jones isn't a name that most people would know unless they are a part of the publishing community. But many of us who like to cook own her a tremendous debt of gratitude. For nearly 25 years she has been a senior VP and editor at Knopf. To her we owe the publishing of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julie Child.

The Tenth Muse is her memoir. It is eminently readable and throughly enjoyable. You learn about her years in Paris, where she ran an illegal restaurant (short lived) in the apartment she was staying in. Her years at Knopf where she was responsible for sheparding MAFC through the years of writing and editing and testing of recipes. We also owe her a debt for the American publication of The Diary of Anne Frank. She knew it had to be published and she pushed until it was.