Gotham Books, 2008. Hardcover. Very Good Plus. Signed first printing. This appealing memoir was published in 2008 when Marcella—long known by one name alone—was 84, a mostly retired cooking teacher and author of half a dozen cookbooks. Marcella Hazan (1924–2013), who was raised in Italy but settled in America and established her long and influential career here, was a powerful personality with strong opinions, and her book is overflowing with both warm, effusive feeling for those she loved and haughty disdain for those she did not. From her childhood in Romagna to her New York years to her later life in Florida, she spins good stories, ranging from sentimental to acerbic, never avoiding entertaining gossip. This Very Good Plus first printing, signed by Hazan, is a great find for collectors or an admirable gift for a Marcella fan. Filled with handsome photographs, beautifully printed, it is Marcella’s final personal offering.
