Julia Child cookbook sales are on fire

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Celebrated chef Julia Child served retailers a healthy helping of business this weekend as moviegoers rushed to snatch up cookbooks, buy biographies and even sign up for French cooking classes.

The surprise surge came as the Meryl Streep film, ‘Julie and Julia,’ based in part on her life opened in theaters. It ranked No. 2 at the domestic box office and pulled in $20 million.

By Sunday, Pasadena bookstore Vroman’s sold out of the first volume of ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking.’ The tome, which Child coauthored and plays a central role in the film, is credited with introducing French cuisine to the American mainstream.

‘Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom’ began flying off shelves last week, as did several of Child’s baking books and her autobiography ‘My Life in France,’ Vroman’s book department manager Justin Junge said. Read more in business.

Photo credit: Jon Chase / Associated Press