29.- BEST SERIES OF FOOD BOOKS

Cookbook series are very important for publishers who want continuing success over a long time. Many try to build it through the authors, while others focus on the format. The world bestsellers are probably the Williams Sonoma books, or the Marie Claire – Donna Hay cookbooks from Australia. Other successful series are the cookbooks of Japan Trading Publications or Marshall Cavendish from Singapore. Some publishers have built empires on their series, such as Hachette-Pratique and Marabout in France, Zabert Sandmann and GU in Germany, Arkaim in Russia, Everest in Spain, Murdoch Books in Australia. Series are the real test of the craft of a publisher.

1997 Germany – (Grafe und Unzer)

1998 Australia – Le Cordon Bleu (Murdoch Books)

1999 US – (Williams Sonoma – Weldon Owen)

2000 US – Paulette Mitchell (IDG)

2001 Germany (Zabert Sandmann)

2002 Australia (Lonely Planet)

2003 Italy (Il Leone Verde)

2004 US (Wiliams Sonoma – Oxmoor House)

2005 Russia – Million Menus (Arkaim)

BEST IN THE WORLD

 April 7, 2007

FINALISTS

1.- BRAZIL

Coleçäo Minicozinha

 (Melhoramentos)

Melhoramentos is the leader in cookbook publishing in Brazil with over 6 million cookbooks sold. This publisher understands well the value of series.

2.- CANADA

Flavour Series

 Blueberries, Cranberries, Maple Syrup, Lobster, Fishcakes

 Elaine Elliot, Virginia Lee, Elizabeth Feltham

 (Formac-Canada)

Some very fresh and well designed books, from acclaimed authors of Canada.

3.- CHINA

New Health Cooking

 Thick Soup, Porridge-Noodle, Family Style Cooking

 In English and Chinese

 (Nan Han Press)

Health is the unifying concept behind the motivations for buying cookbooks in China today, so it becomes the title of bestselling series.

4.- FRANCE

Régal dÉté – Automne – Hiver-Printemps – 4 Volumes

 Petits manuels de cuisine saisonnière

 Recettes: Elsa Bréand

 Photos : Michel Reuss

Conception Graphique et Direction Artistique : Fouinzanardi.com

 (Fleurus-Régal)

Regal is one of the leading food magazines in France. Editor Julien Fouin is a true publisher, at ease with content and design.

5.- GERMANY

Das Grosse Buch vom Fleisch

 (Teubner)

Teubner established its reputation for superb photography, backing excellent content. The big books series is published year after year, now part of the large Gräfe und Unzer group. After the big books on fish, seafood, vegetable, fruits, cheese, pastas, wild, pâtés, Teubner delights us with the big book on meat. As all the previous books of the series, it is a reference book for the cook who wants to know more.

6.- GREECE

Many Healthy Flavours

 Alexia Alexiadou

 Photos: Vivianna Athanassopolou

 (Alba Editions)

Alexia Alexiadou is now developing her own brand, with a magazine and series. She is a wise publisher.

7.-KOREA

Roll Cake, Cheesecake, Pound Cake,

 3 Collections

 Kim Young Mos Master Baking Series

 (Giraffe Publishing-Korea, Dream Character-USA)

Kim Young Mo is the president of the Korean Bakers Trade Association. He won the Best in the World Award for dessert and pastry book in 2006 in Kuala Lumpur.

8.- NORWAY

Kultur Historisk Kokebok

 Rakefiskk

 By Halvor Heuch, Astri Riddervold

 Lutefisk, Klippfisk

 By Jahn Otto Johansen

 (Damm)

 The Norwegians dare to include Kultur in the title. Fish is a most important part of the fundamentals of culinary history in Norway. This series fine of books on sea food is a documentation and celebration to traditions and heritage evolved from the landscape of fjords in Norway.

9.- PERU

La Cocina de Gastón

 Gaston Acurio

 (Orbis Ventures-El Comercio – Peru)

Gaston Acurio is the best-known Chef in Peru. He is a human dynamo, never stopping work. He does not travel enough to show his great talent internationally. This large series of books were distributed as supplements to the leading daily newspaper of Peru, El Comercio.

10.- PORTUGAL

 Receitas da Avó Rosalina

 111 Receitas sem Colesterol: Ana Da Costa Cabral

 111 Receitas com Chá e Café: Margarida Pereira-Müller

 Cozinha da Sensibilidade e bom Senso: Ana da Costa Cabral

 (Publicaçoes Europa-América)

These 3 cookbooks show the best of traditional healthy Portuguese recipes.

11.- SLOVENIA

The Velika Kuharska Zbirka

 Cookbook Collection – 12 Vol.

 Urban Demsar, Janez Puksic, Zare Kerin

 (Dnevnik)

Series are popular in Slovenia, where the food culture is one of the great treasures of this small country, which is part of the Euro Zone since January 1, 2007.

12.- SPAIN-CASTELLANO

Guias Bon Vivant:

 El Camionero Recomienda, El Gourmet Recomienda

 (Bon Vivant)

The titles are great: The Truck Driver Recommends, The Gourmet Recommends.

The books are excellent.

13.- SPAIN-CATALAN

Productes de Mercat

 Larròs, el cep, lanec, lall, el bacallà, la cansalada, el seito, el maduixot

 (SD Ediciones)

This series seems to use the same successful concept of Editions de LEpure in France, which received a Special Award this year: small books on many subjects, with few essential recipes.

14.- SWEDEN

Viktväktarnas utgivning, vilken exemplifieras av boken Mat för alla

Stina Algotson, Swedish text and translation

Photo: Steve Baxter

Layout: Åsa Waldton

(B. Wahlströms)

A Swedish inspirational production within the international success series from the Weight Watchers.

15.- UKRAINE

Merry Vegetables, Sandwiches

 Funny Hamburgers

 Iryna Stepanova, Sergiy Kabachenko

 (Kloboda)

These are unsophisticated cookbooks with a heavy use of photography to reach the general public.

16.- USA

Wiliams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series

 Soup by Georgeanne Brennan

 Slow Cooker by Norman Kolpas

 Pasta: Julia Della Croce

 Baking: Lou Seibert Pappas

 Weeknight: Melanie Barnard

 (Sunset Books)

Williams Sonoma is the master of series of cookbooks. They are so good they usually have an initial printing of 60.000 each. The authors are great professionals. Norman Kolpas received a Best in the World Award in 1999.