Jones, Judith 1924(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1924; married Evan Jones (a food critic, editor, and author), 1951 (died, 1996); children: two, including Audrey; (stepchildren) two daughters. Education: Graduated from Bennington College.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY; VT. Agent—(Lectures) Knopf Speakers Bureau, MD 21-4, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER:

Le Cirque du Cirque (restaurant), Paris, France, co-owner, during World War II; early career, worked for publishing house Doubleday in New York, NY, and Paris, France; Alfred A. Knopf (publishing house), New York, NY, staff member, 1957—, currently senior editor and vice president.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Lifetime Achievement Award, James Beard Foundation, 2006.

WRITINGS:

(With husband, Evan Jones) Knead It, Punch It, Bake It! Make Your Own Bread, illustrated by Lauren Jarrett, Crowell (New York, NY), 1981, 2nd edition published as Knead It, Punch It, Bake It! The Ultimate Breadmaking Book for Parents and Kids, illustrated by Mitra Modarressi, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1998.

(With Evan Jones) The Book of Bread, illustrated by Lauren Jarrett, Harper & Row (New York, NY), 1982.

(With Angus Cameron) The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, illustrated by Bill Elliott, Random House (New York, NY), 1983.

(With Evan Jones) The L.L. Bean Book of New England Cookery, illustrated by Lauren Jarrett, Random House (New York, NY), 1987, published as The Book of New New England Cookery, illustrated by Lauren Jarrett, University Press of New England (Hanover, NH), 2001.

The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals, including Gourmet, Saveur, and Vogue.

SIDELIGHTS:

Judith Jones has enjoyed a distinguished career in publishing, most of it with the publishing house Knopf. Well known for being the editor who discovered the manuscripts for Anne Frank's diary and Julia Child's first cookbook, Jones has since worked with many fiction authors, including John Updike and Ann Tyler. A lover of good food herself, Jones wrote a number of books about cooking, several of which were with her late husband, Evan, who was well known for his own books about food. In her 2007 memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, Jones focuses on her lifelong experiences with food, while also talking about her own life and work. The book gets its title from Gasterea, the muse of the enjoyment of taste whom French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin considered the tenth and forgotten muse.

Jones's love of food was unique within her immediate family. Her mother was from England and raised her children on fairly plain food and considered garlic to be exotic. Some of Jones's extended family, however, enjoyed cooking, and the young girl learned to savor food outside the home. Her father, too, encouraged this by taking his daughter out occasionally for French fare. The young Jones's love of food resulted in her becoming somewhat rotund, and her embarrassment over this caused her initial passion to wane somewhat. After graduating from Bennington College, however, Jones found employment at the publishing house Doubleday in New York City. But, while on vacation in Paris, France, she made the decision not to return to the Big Apple. Jones would instead spend the next three and a half years in Paris. Her passion for food was rekindled, and she became co-owner of a little bistro called Le Cirque du Cirque. The restaurant was actually housed in an apartment, and when the landlord discovered the business Jones and her friends were evicted.

Meanwhile, however, Jones met Evan, and the couple were married in 1951. Jones worked at the Paris office of Doubleday, and it was here that she was assigned to go through the slush pile and write rejection letters to authors of unsolicited manuscripts. In good conscience, Jones could not bring herself to write such letters without reading the books first. One of these that she stumbled upon was a little Jewish girl's diary about hiding from the Nazis during World War II. It had seen a private printing at the hands of her father, Otto Frank. Jones told her editor that Doubleday should publish the diary, but when he rejected her pleas she went directly to her superiors in New York City. This time, she was successful and The Diary of Anne Frank became a best seller and a valuable work of history read by millions.

Returning to New York, Jones continued to work for Doubleday for a while before leaving that publisher for Knopf in 1957; here, because of her knowledge of French, she started out by editing translations of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. It was while at Knopf that she made her second noteworthy discovery: Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck. Published in 1961, this cookbook is considered a landmark in the genre for the way in which it explained so accurately how to prepare French dishes that it made it possible for almost anyone to make these recipes; it also took the snobbery out of fine cuisine and made it accessible to average readers and cooks. After its publication, the book made Julia Child a celebrity, and Jones was responsible for all of the chef's books after that, including works by such talents as James Beard, Jacques Pépin, Lidia Bastianich, Claudia Roden, Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey, Edna Lewis, Joan Nathan, Irene Kuo, Marion Cunningham, and Nina Simonds. "Ms. Jones may not be the mother of the revolution in American taste that began in the 1960s and transformed the food Americans cook at home," remarked Julia Moskin in the New York Times. "But she remains its most productive midwife."

With her eye for publishing important books, Jones naturally moved up the ranks at Knopf, eventually becoming vice president and senior editor. She has focused much of her attention on cookbooks, but has also worked on best-selling fiction. When Jones decided to write her memoir, the book could easily have been a colorful account of the publishing world and all the famous authors and editors she had met over the decades. Instead, The Tenth Muse, while it touches on her professional life, is all about the author's introduction to, growing love of, and associations with food and cooking, even including a section of recipes the author wished to share with readers. Chapters on food parallel and complement the author's life, from her childhood awakening to the possibilities of good cooking, to her delights in French cuisine heightened by Julia Child's friendship, her companionship with her husband and fellow gourmand, and ending with a chapter that is both sad and exuberant on cooking for one after her husband's death. "There is wonderful writing in here of her work as an editor," a Publishers Weekly writer did report, adding that "there are humorous asides of how she enticed other Knopf colleagues to try out recipes, testing them as it were." However, "the heart of the book is Jones's philosophy and respect for fabulous food, which she describes in luscious detail," asserted a Bookreporter.com critic who described The Tenth Muse as "a gripping, well-paced page-turner filled with an infectious passion for food and cooking." Sheryl Julian, writing for the Boston Globe, called the work a "carefully crafted memoir" and admired the author for her restraint because "she doesn't dish, isn't snide, and isn't reporting any juicy tales."

In an interview with Michael Ruhlman on Ruhlman's online blog, Jones expressed frustration with the current cookbook publishing world, but had some hopes in the possibilities of the Internet. She complained to Ruhlman that publishers "are afraid to touch a book unless the author is someone you can promote" and was not very positive about the Food Network channel. However, she saw potential in blogs about food because there is "something very good about them, in that, you're awfully alone in the kitchen and I think that's one thing people resist about cooking, but if you share with others, you know, what went wrong with your soufflé, and people can cheer you on and tell of their disaster or success, sharing little secrets, it's stimulating."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Jones, Judith, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, Alfred A. Knopf (New York, NY), 2007.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 15, 2007, Brad Hooper, review of The Tenth Muse, p. 14.

Books, October 27, 2007, "Acquired Tastes: A Delectable Memoir by an Editor Who Helped Shape a Revolution in American Eating Habits," p. 11.

Books & Culture, January 1, 2008, "A Way of Giving Thanks: Midwifing the American Food Revolution."

Changing Times, November 1, 1982, Goody Solomon, review of Knead It, Punch It, Bake It! Make Your Own Bread, p. 66.

Christian Science Monitor, December 14, 1981, Sonia W. Thomas, review of Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!, p. 10; June 1, 1983, review of The Book of Bread, p. 16; December 14, 1983, Phyllis Hanes, review of The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 36; December 9, 1987, review of The L.L. Bean Book of New New England Cookery, p. 23; January 8, 2008, Kendra Nordin, "In The Tenth Muse Judith Jones Writes of a Life in Food," p. 17.

Cuisine, February 1, 1983, Richard Sax, review of The Book of Bread, p. 18; December 1, 1983, Angus Cameron, review of The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 39; April 1, 1984, Richard Sax, review of L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 124.

Entertainment Weekly, November 16, 2007, "Curl Up and Dine," p. 80.

Field & Stream, February 1, 1984, review of The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 33.

Gourmet, November 1, 1987, Leo Lerman, review of The L.L. Bean Book of New New England Cookery, p. 72.

House & Garden, June 1, 1984, Alexander Cockburn, review of The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 82.

Houston Chronicle, January 9, 2008, "Cookbook: A Helping of Delicious Prose," p. 3.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2007, review of The Tenth Muse.

Library Journal, October 15, 1982, Ruth Diebold, review of The Book of Bread, p. 1988; October 15, 2007, Elizabeth Rogers, review of The Tenth Muse, p. 84.

Los Angeles Magazine, December 1, 1983, Laurie Burrows Grad, review of The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 438.

Newsweek, December 7, 1987, review of The L.L. Bean Book of New New England Cookery, p. 92.

New York, January 10, 1983, Michael Batterberry, review of The Book of Bread, p. 53; December 19, 1983, Michael Batterberry, review of The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 97.

New York Observer, November 27, 2007, Andre Bernard, "Star at Knopf Makes Magic in the Kitchen," review of The Tenth Muse.

New York Times, December 6, 1981, Mimi Sheraton, review of Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!, p. 82; December 5, 1982, Mimi Sheraton, review of The Book of Bread, p. 66; December 11, 1983, Marian Burros, review of The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 12; October 24, 2007, "Sauce Gribiche Adapted from The Tenth Muse by Judith Jones, Time: 5 Minutes," p. 2; October 24, 2007, "Lidia's Veal and Eggplant Gratinate Adapted from The Tenth Muse by Judith Jones, Time: 30 Minutes," p. 2.

New York Times Book Review, December 6, 1981, Mimi Sheraton, review of Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!, p. 82; December 5, 1982, Mimi Sheraton, review of The Book of Bread, p. 66; December 11, 1983, Marian Burros, review of The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 12; December 6, 1987, Florence Fabricant, review of The L.L. Bean Book of New New England Cookery, p. 40; November 4, 2007, "Taste Maker," p. 30.

People, February 8, 1988, Diane Kelley Giles, review of The L.L. Bean Book of New New England Cookery, p. 14.

Publishers Weekly, August 20, 1982, review of The Book of Bread, p. 65 June 24, 1983, "Talk with Judith Jones," p. 20; August 19, 1983, review of The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 67; October 16, 1987, Penny Kaganoff, review of The L.L. Bean Book of New New England Cooking, p. 82; September 7, 1998, review of Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!, p. 91; July 9, 2007, review of The Tenth Muse, p. 39; November 27, 2007, review of The Tenth Muse.

Restaurants & Institutions, June 24, 1988, Nancy Ross Ryan, review of The L.L. Bean Book of New New England Cookery, p. 140.

School Library Journal, January 1, 1982, review of Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!, p. 78; February 1, 1986, review of Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!, p. 29.

Sports Illustrated, December 12, 1983, Jeremiah Tax, review of The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, p. 6.

Time, November 30, 1987, Mimi Sheraton, review of The L.L. Bean Book of New New England Cookery, p. 102.

Washington Post, January 23, 2008, "Free Range on Food; Cooking for One with Judith Jones."

WWD, November 13, 2007, Rosemary Feitelberg, "Jones: Never Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen," p. 10.

ONLINE

BookBitchBlog,http://bookbitch.blogspot.com/ (February 29, 2004), Mary Carole McCauley, "A Way with Words."

Bookreporter.com,http://www.bookreporter.com/ (May 6, 2008), Terry Miller Shannon, review of The Tenth Muse.

Boston Globe Online,http://www.boston.com/ (April 18, 2007), "IACP Hands Out Awards"; (September 26, 2007), Sheryl Junlian, "Behind Every Great Cookbook."

Gastronomer's Guide,http://www.gastronomersguide.com/ (February 28, 2008), "Follow the Muse with Cookbook Editor Judith Jones."

January Magazine,http://januarymagazine.com/ (October 1, 2007), Diane Leach, "Please, May I Have Some More?"

Indo-American Arts Council,http://www.iaac.us/ (May 6, 2008), brief biography of Judith Jones.

Knopf Speaker's Bureau,http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/ksb/ (May 6, 2008), brief biography of Judith Jones.

Mark Bernstein Web site,http://www.markbernstein.org/ (December 17, 2007), review of The Tenth Muse.

Memphis Flyer Online,http://www.memphisflyer.com/ (November 15, 2007), Leonard Gill, "Taste Test: Judith Jones Honors Her Muse, Gastera."

National Public Radio Web site,http://www.npr.org/ Christopher Hirsheimer, "Judith Jones Toasts a Culinary Life in ‘Tenth Muse.’"

New York Sun Online,http://www2.nysun.com/ (December 12, 2007), Peter Hellman, "Culinary Page-Turners."

New York Times Online,http://www.nytimes.com/ (October 24, 2007), Julia Moskin, "An Editing Life, a Book of Her Own."

RandomHouse.biz,http://www.randomhouse.biz/ (May 8, 2006), "Judith Jones to Receive James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award."

SFGate,http://www.sfgate.com/ (October 28, 2007), Martin Rubin, "Editor Who Gave Us Julia Child Reflects on Her Own Life in Food."

Suite101.com,http://biographiesmemoirs.suite101.com/ (November 30, 2007), Sharon Hunt, "Judith Jones' Life in Food."

ValleyNews.com,http://valleynews.com/ (November 6, 2007), Marilyn Dalrymple, review of The Tenth Muse.