Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol.2

This isn't just any cookery book. It is 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking', first published in 1961, & it's a book that is a statement, not of culinary intent, but of aspiration, a commitment to a certain sort of good life, a certain sort of world-view; a votive object implying taste & appetite & a little je ne sais quoi.