"Joy of Cooking" Published

November 28, 2009

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Profile America — Saturday, November 28th. A book was first published on this date in 1931 that became one of the nation’s longest-running bestsellers, as well as a gift for newlyweds of several generations — the “Joy of Cooking.” The volume was first self-published by author Irma Rombauer and became an institution. The first commercial version of the book appeared in 1936 and offered a revolutionary format, in which ingredients and instructions were given in chronological order — now used by most cookbooks. More than 18 million copies of the ”Joy of Cooking” have been sold. Today, many of the nation’s more than 21,000 book stores maintain special cookbook sections. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 571
2002 Economic Census, NAICS 451211
http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/data/industry/E451211.HTM