Modernist Cuisine: the Art and Science of Cooking (First Edition)

The landmark work of modern culinary science, first printed in a run of only 6,000 copies.

Modernist Cuisine was written by Nathan Myhrvold, a physicist and former Microsoft technology chief, with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet. It grew out of a project that ran for more than five years with a team of over fifty people at its peak. They tested and documented 1,522 recipes, and photographed kitchen equipment sliced in half to show what happens inside it. Volume V gathers the plated-dish recipes together with glossaries and reference tables. The first printing was of 6,000 copies and cost more than US$1,000,000 to produce; it sold out shortly after publication, and a second printing of 25,000 was ordered in April 2011. The set was named Cookbook of the Year by the James Beard Foundation in 2012. Forbes also called it the most influential work about food of its decade.

First edition. Folio. Five volumes in the original acrylic slipcase: Vol. I, History and Fundamentals, [pp.]; Vol. II, Techniques and Equipment; Vol. III, Animals and Plants; Vol. IV, Ingredients and Preparations; Vol. V, Plated-Dish Recipes, the five together running to 2,438 pages. Spiral-bound Kitchen Manual (volume 6) not present. Original pictorial boards, profusely illustrated throughout in colour. A few minor and superficial markings to covers. Contents clean and bright throughout. Some scratching to acrylic case from shelf wear, strongest to rear outer face. Generally, a fine set.

Please note: This set weighs roughly 24 kg. It is not eligible for flat rate standard domestic shipping. For international shipping, costs are sure to be extreme.

This set is not currently on display in store. For viewing or more information, please contact: rarebooks@harryhartog.com.au

Catalogue number: HH000917