Judith Jones

Judith Jones (née Bailey; March 10, 1924 – August 2, 2017) was an American writer and editor, initially known for having rescued The Diary of Anne Frank from the reject pile. Jones is also known as the editor who championed Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Career

Editor Jones worked for Doubleday, first in New York City and then in Paris, where she read and recommended The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank, pulling it out of the rejection pile. Jones recalled that she came across Frank's work in a slush pile of material that had been rejected by other publishers; she was struck by a photograph of the girl on the cover of an advance copy of the French edition. "I read it all day," she noted. "When my boss returned, I told him, 'We have to publish this book.' He said, 'What? That book by that kid?'" She brought the diary to the attention of Doubleday's New York office. "I made the book quite important because I was so taken with it, and I felt it would have a real market in America. It's one of those seminal books that will never be forgotten," Jones said. In America's postwar years, home cooking was dominated by packaged and frozen food, with an emphasis on ease and speed.

After the success of Child's cookbook, Jones continued to expand the resource options for American home cooks. "I got so excited by Julia's book and what it did for making people better cooks, and the tools that you needed to make it really work in an American city or small town, and I thought, If we could do this for French food, for heavens' sake, let's start doing it for other exotic cuisines!" Jones recalled. "I used the word "exotic," and that meant the Middle East with Claudia Roden, it meant better Indian cooking with Madhur Jaffrey."

After working with Edna Lewis on The Taste of Country Cooking, Jones focused more on American regional cooking.

Major culinary authors Jones brought into print include Child, Lidia Bastianich, James Beard, Marion Cunningham, Rosie Daley, Edward Giobbi, Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey, Irene Kuo, Edna Lewis, Joan Nathan, Scott Peacock, Jacques Pépin, Claudia Roden, and Nina Simonds. The 18-book Knopf Cooks American series was Jones' creation.

Jones was also the longtime editor of noted authors John Updike, Anne Tyler, John Hersey, Elizabeth Bowen, Peter Taylor, and William Maxwell.

She retired as senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf in 2011 and fully retired in 2013 after more than 60 years at the company.

Author Jones wrote three books with her husband, Evan, and wrote three on her own after his death: one on cooking for one person; a memoir of her life and food; and a cookbook for food that can be shared with dogs.

Jones contributed to Vogue, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Departures, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.

She was portrayed by American actress Erin Dilly in the 2009 film Julie & Julia, and Fiona Glascott in the 2022 series Julia.

“Learning to like cooking alone is an ongoing process. But the alternative is worse.”

"For a long time, the women – and they were usually women – who wrote about food were treated as second-class citizens. All because they cook! I think that's opened up. A good writer gets some good assignments, and they're treated better somehow. It just takes time."

Nominee (2010) James Beard: General Cooking – The Pleasures of Cooking For One

(1983) The Book of Bread by Judith Jones and Evan Jones. Award: Single Subject. (1993) Peppers: A Story of Hot Pursuits by Amal Naj and edited by Judith Jones. Award: Writing on Food (1995) Jewish Cooking in America by Joan Nathan and edited by Judith Jones. Award: Food of the Americas (2000) Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child, Jacques Pépin and edited by Judith Jones. Award: General (2000) A Spoonful of Ginger by Nina Simonds and edited by Judith Jones. Award: Healthy Focus (2002) Jacques Pepin Celebrates by Jacques Pépin and edited by Judith Jones. Award: Entertaining & Special Occasions (2006) The New American Cooking by Joan Nathan and edited by Judith Jones. Award: Food of the Americas (2006) Spices of Life: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Great Health by Nina Simonds and edited by Judith Jones. Award: Healthy Focus

In popular culture Actress Erin Dilly played Jones in the film Julie & Julia, which starred Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell. In the TV series, Julia, based on the life of Julia Child, Jones is portrayed by Fiona Glascott.

Works

Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!: Make Your Own Bread, with Evan Jones, illustrated by Lauren Jarrett (for children, Thomas Y. Crowell Co., October 1981) The Book of Bread, with Evan Jones (Harper & Row, 1982) The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, with Angus Cameron, illustrated by Bill Elliott (Random House, October 12, 1983) The L.L. Bean Book of New New England Cookery, with Evan Jones (Random House, October 12, 1987) (reprinted as The Book of New New England Cookery, illustrated by Lauren Jarrett, in paperback by UPNE, April 1, 2001) The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food (Knopf, October 23, 2007) The Pleasures of Cooking for One (Knopf, September 29, 2009) Love Me, Feed Me: Sharing with Your Dog the Everyday Good Food You Cook and Enjoy (Knopf, October 28, 2014)