An interesting book for writers

I just finished "Stand Facing the Stove: the Story of the Women Who Gave America the Joy of Cooking," by Anne Mendelson.

Several aspects of the book are especially fascinating to anyone who either works in an editorial capacity in cookbook publishing (as I did) or is a published author (as I am).

We are so spoiled these days by computers that it's hard to imagine how daunting book production (particularly cookbooks) must have been in the early and middle part of this century. Creating and following a consistent style guide for a massive and intricate cookbook without even the aid of photocopiers is incredible, but that's how it was done. And the idea of indexing a cookbook without the aid of a computer is a bad dream -- indices are awful even with a computer.

Add the difficulties of creating and publishing a cookbook to an absolutely intolerable relationship with a publisher for years and years of drama. Irma Rombauer, who originated the "Joy of Cooking," made a rookie mistake when she signed the contract for the first edition with Bobbs-Merrill, granting the copyright to the book, as well as to an earlier, lesser edition, to the publisher. This one detail robbed Irma Rombauer and her daughter Marion Becker (who eventually overtook the book's subsequent editions) of perhaps millions of dollars as well as control over the book.

Things didn't get any better for future editions -- in 1962 Bobbs-Merrill published an edition of "Joy of Cooking" "without a contract, an act of stunning recklessness that left the receipt of income from sales something like the receipt of a live bomb." This edition was very badly edited in every way -- in the key to the symbols what was originally parenthesis intended to highlight optional ingredients morphed into a circle, and then later to a solid circle. Ingredients were spelled incorrectly, recipes chopped up but not reconstituted correctly, etc. Anne Mendelson compares the work finding and listing all the errors to "counting locusts in a Scriptural plague."

It's enough to keep an author with a book in production up at night, and a good reminder to check any contract carefully.

Hooked on Book Mooch

I've been Book Mooching for almost 2 weeks now, and it is strangely addictive. At this point it feels a bit like a pyramid scheme -- I've shipped 15 books and have yet to receive any (although 2 are on the way). Cleaning books off the shelves and sending them to people who really want them is satisfying, especially remaindered hard covers, since no one will ever buy them back at a book store.

http://www.bookmooch.com

Mommy Takes a Hike

Hans shoved me out the door Sunday morning for a hike -- only my second solitary trek in almost 2 years. Since I didn't want to be away for a long time, I chose San Pedro Valley Park, which is always one of my favorite places to hike, any time of year. The weather was perfect and the trails were very quiet. I love the way the seasons overlap in the bay area, and at San Pedro there were still red berries dangling from honeysuckle vines (summer), purple drupes on Coffeeberry shrubs (autumn), and new flowers on the manzanitas (winter). There were about a million hummingbirds zipping about, and great piles of Coffeeberry-studded coyote scat along the trail. I look forward to more hiking in the future -- if and when Jack is agreeable, we could hike quite a bit during the week.

http://www.bahiker.com/southbayhikes/sanpedro.html