Silver Palate Co-Author Sheila Lukins Dies at 66
Sheila Lukins, co-author of The Silver Palate Cookbook and The New Basics Cookbook, and author Celebrate!, Ten and other cookbooks, died yesterday. The cause was brain cancer, diagnosed three months ago. Lukins was 66. Workman published The Silver Palate Cookbook, which Lukins co-authored with Julee Rosso, in 1982; it has sold more than two and a half million copies. The cookbook introduced readers to dishes like chicken Marbella, which, in classic Silver Palate style, used everyday ingredients—capers, olives and prunes—to add new, refined flavors. Lukins went on to publish six other books with Workman. Her books have collectively sold more than seven million copies. Lukins's longtime editor, Suzanne Rafer, spoke toPW about Lukins's impact on American home cooking.
Paris Cookbook Fair Set for February
Gourmand International has announced the Paris Cookbook Fair will take place February 11-15, 2010 at The Centquatre (Le 104), a cultural events space at 104 Rue d’Aubervilliers in the city’s 20th arrondissement. The fair will feature publisher stands, a foreign rights center, author signing areas, conferences and tastings. Publishing Perspectives has more details.


Chefs’ Favorite Cookbooks
Food & Wine talked to a handful of acclaimed chefs who learned to cook from cookbooks. Tom Colicchio’s cookbook hero is Jacques Pépin (Pépin’s 1976 La Technique and 1979 La Methode came in handy when Colicchio apprenticed at the Hôtel de France in Gascony, in southwest France); Mourad Lahlou credits Paula Wolfert with showing him the ropes (Lahlou has drawn heavily on Wolfert’s 1973 Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco). The article mentions three other chefs and their go-to cookbooks.


The Julia & Julia Effect
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, first published nearly 50 years ago, made its debut as a New York Times bestseller yesterday at the number-one slot on the hardcover Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous list. Also yesterday, Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom debuted at #1 on the New York Times paperback Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous list; and My Life in France appeared at number #3 on the New York Times paperback Nonfiction list. Random House reports backlist sales of Julia Child’s books have “exploded” since Julie & Julia opened; sales are so strong that the publisher has gone back to press 39 times in the past month. “We are printing and shipping books as fast as we can,” said Chris Gillespie, sales marketing director for Knopf, “but customers are buying them just as quickly.”

This story originally appeared in Cooking the Books, PW's e-newsletter for cookbooks.