“I made a vow to myself never publish a cook book that used powdered garlic. Particularly in a book like this that is so full of fresh and glorious things it should not have to appear.”

These sentences appear in a letter Judith Jones wrote to a young author (Anna Thomas) of a manuscript (The Vegetarian Epicure, a book years ahead of its time) Jones was editing. I doubt that any other cookbook author has ever seen sentences like these in a letter from their editor. I think they say some important things about Jones. That she could confess this vow to an author and be taken seriously. That she knew just what to say to persuade an author to accept her advice. That she was attentive to details in every recipe she read. That she applied her standards for what was allowable in a book she edited even to small things. That she was an enthusiastic and experienced cook herself who could appreciate the importance of using “fresh and glorious things” in preparing food. And that she expected to work with other authors on other cookbooks, having already been the editor of the most influential cookbook of its time, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Why else make that “vow to myself”?

I enjoyed reading this admiring portrait of a woman who made a brilliant career for herself in book publishing at a time when such a thing was a rarity for women. Even more impressive was that Jones did this at Knopf, the most prestigious publisher in America. And for a good chunk of her time there she worked for a boss who did not respect or value her. The one time she asked this boss for a raise he refused to give it to her. This same boss took credit for the success of a book that Jones had edited and seen through to publication. (These sections—showing how Jones handled adversarial office politics—reminded me of scenes in “Mad Men.”)

Despite the treatment she received there, Jones never considered leaving Knopf. She was too devoted to her authors and projects to leave them behind. This book gives us the chance to see close-up and over and over the impact a devoted editor can have on an author and a book.

This book also gives us a chance to see how devoted those authors were to an editor who was (quoting many of the ways Jones was described by the authors who worked with her) perceptive, firm but gentle, sympathetic, diligent, imaginative, unselfconscious, indomitable, sophisticated, strong-willed, irreverent, energetic, a deft wordsmith, known to have a wicked sense of humor, and—most valuable of all--a wise guide.

Before reading this book, I had heard of other book editors—Maxwell Perkins, Michael Korda, Jason Epstein, Robert Gottlieb. But I had never heard of Judith Jones. Thank you, Sara Franklin, for writing this book that I hope will make Judith Jones widely known.

Thank you Simon & Shuster for providing an advance copy in galley form for review consideration via NetGalley. Please note: Quotes taken from a galley may change in the final version.
All opinions are my own.

Judith Jones was an editor with Knopf publishing house and this beautifully written detail of her life and career points out how far she advanced as a woman in her times.

As a non-cook, I was enthralled with the details of Judith working with chefs to bring their talents to the book world. It made me want to start cooking! I had no idea so much went into prepping to publish a cookbook. But, Judith worked with authors besides the cookbooks (although she was most definitely a pioneer in the cookbook world). She worked with such talents as John Updike, Sylvia Plath, and Anne Tyler - and so many more. Her success has a directly link to her interpersonal skills, her drive for success and her vision.

Judith Jones led quite a full and interesting life and I recommend that everyone read this biography on a genuine pioneer for women working in the publishing field.

Opinions are my own. Book provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sara Franklin’s first-rate biography is a celebration of the “audacious life” of editor Judith Jones, whose career spanned the 1960’s and into the millennium. With little more than instinct, pluck, and will, Jones began her career at Doubleday at age 17 and rose to senior editor and V.P. At Knopf in Paris. After being involved with noted authors like John Updike, Sylvia Plath, John Hersey, and Langston Hughes, and important manuscripts including THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, she gained her most remarkable success by her association first with cookery guru Julia Child and later with James Beard and Jacques Papin, to become a true “culinary luminary.” This is an exceptional book where even the end-notes make entertaining reading.

Judith Jones was an editor of many literary stars, including Sylvia Plath, John Updike, Anne Tyler and Julia Childs. She worked consistently during a time when many women stayed home. She worked tirelessly for her authors while being underpaid and under appreciated…even when she brought in a lot of money from her acquisitions. This biography was extremely thorough and well-written. The author spent time with Judith at the end of her life and was granted access to her personal papers after her death. The back half of the book is mostly about Judith’s work with Cookbook authors, which is not my area of interest at all. That probably affected my reading of the book, but shouldn’t turn interested readers away. Overall, I thought this a very well done biographical account of a literary trailblazer. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

My cooking has been transformed by the books Judith Jones edited, so I was delighted to learn about this book. I loved every bit of it and raced through it.