Last week, hurrying about my errands and to-do lists, in between work and answering emails, I clicked on a link on Twitter that led me to this article, this epic piece really, a 5-part series about a homeless family in New York City. The article focused on one of the family's daughters, a little girl named Dasani. Dasani, born into a different kind of life, would have the regular bright things ahead of her that we all, most of us at least, take for granted. Home-cooked dinners, new clothing and the ability to go to the bathroom alone and without fear to start, followed by regular school attendance, a high school diploma probably, college and a life – stable, regular, quotidian – thereafter. Instead, Dasani lives a life that would crush most of us. If you haven't already read about Dasani and her family, I urge you to. It will take some time, but it is worth it.
I haven't been able to stop thinking about the family – and the thousands like it – since. When I take a shower alone and unmolested, when I watch Hugo eating his dinner that I have no trouble putting on the table, when I lie back in my clean, quiet bed at night to read, I think about all these silly little things that make up my everyday life and how completely out of reach they are for a girl, and a family, that has simply had the bad luck to be born into different circumstances than I have.
I've also been thinking about how to help, which is where you come in. I've decided to auction off a good portion (about half!) of my cookbook collection and will be donating all proceeds to the Invisible Child Fund at the Legal Aid Society of New York. There are a lot of great books in the collection, like the much-coveted and out-of-print The Last Course by Claudia Fleming, a signed copy of Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home, M.F.K. Fisher's The Cooking of Provincial France set that she did for Time-Life, and Alice Medrich's cult favorite, also out-of-print, Chocolate and the Art of Lowfat Desserts (one of the first books I scored on eBay way back when because of a food blog).
After much thought, I decided not to use eBay for the auction – I don't want anyone to hesitate to bid because they don't have an account. Instead, I'm going to auction the books off right here. I think it should go relatively smoothly. Here's how it'll work: I'm going to list the books up for auction below, with author name, title, condition of the book, and a bidding price. If you want to bid on a book, just leave a comment or send me an email or a tweet with the amount and I'll update the bidding price. The auction will end on Friday.
Please help by spreading the word far and wide. While I can't guarantee that the books will arrive in time for Christmas, depending on where you live, I do promise to ship them into the postal system the weekend before Christmas. The books are all in new or almost-new condition, with the exception of the few vintage ones among them. Bonus: Ruth Reichl and Deb Perelman, the authors of Mmmmm: A Feastiary and The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, respectively, will be matching the winning bid for their books, no matter how high they go. And the winning bidder for Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy will received an accompanying limited edition letterpress poster from the publisher.
And: If you spend over $50 on any book, you'll also receive a copy of My Berlin Kitchen as a gift.
Thank you, sweet readers, for reading and for participating.
1. Susan Herrmann Loomis's French Farmhouse Cookbook – paperback, like new. $50 (ruth fecych via email)
2. Barbara Kafka's Roasting: A Simple Art – hardcover, gently used. $60 (Elizabeth Van Pelt)
3. Deborah Krasner's Good Meat – hardcover, new. $65 (Eleanor)
4. Alice Medrich's Chocolate and The Art of Low-Fat Desserts – hardcover, gently used. $115 (Thomas Marzahl via email)
5. Suvir Saran's Indian Home Cooking – hardcover, like new. $150 (Tanya)
6. Claudia Fleming's The Last Course – hardcover, new. $250 (Theresa Vaskovic. via email)
7. Sara Forte's The Sprouted Kitchen – hardcover, new. $100 (amanda)
8. Gourmet's Cookie Cookbook – hardcover, like new. $50 (Deb)
9. Jamie's 15-Minute Meals – hardcover, new. $50 (Chlo-star.)
10. Jamie's Great Britain – hardcover, new. $55 (Jennifer)
11. Lisa Fain's Homesick Texan Cookbook – hardcover, like new. $120 (Sara)
12. The Nepenthe Cookbook – hardcover, new. $20 (Luann Wierdsma via email)
13. Alton Brown's Good Eats 1 & 2 – hardcover, new. $100 (Dana)
14. Food52 Cookbook, Volume II – hardcover, like new. $60 (Mary Nodine via email)
15. Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarborough's Ham – hardcover, new. $30 (Edgardo via Twitter)
16. Clotilde Dusoulier's French Market Cookbook – paperback, like new. $50 (Karey)
17. Liana Krissoff's Grains for a New Generation – paperback, like new. $80 (Sara)
18. MFK Fisher's Cooking from Provincial France – hardcover with spiral bound recipe booklet in slipcase, vintage. Good, clean, unused condition. $260 (Brettne Bloom)
19. Deb Perelman's The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook – hardcover, new. Winning bid will be matched by Deb. $130 (Em)
20. Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home, dedicated and signed – hardcover, new. $160 (Bec via email)
***UPDATE***
Russ Parsons, Ruth Reichl, Ten Speed Press and Sarah Copeland caught wind of the auction and generously asked to donate the following incredible items. Thank you to them!!
21. Russ Parsons's How to Pick a Peach, signed – hardcover, new. $70 (Suzy)
22. Ruth Reichl's Mmmmm: A Feastiary (her very last personal copy!). Winning bid will be matched by Ruth. $525 (John Atchue)
23. Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy, signed – hardcover, new. Winning bid will receive an accompanying limited edition letterpress poster. $250 (Sarah Chamberlain via email)
24. Sarah Copeland's Feast, signed – hardcover, new. $55 (Katherine)
25. Sarah Copeland's The Newlywed Cookbook, signed – hardcover, new. $55 (Cayleigh)
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142 responses to “A Cookbook Auction for The Invisible Child”
Thank you – but floribunda (see just above) already bid $20 for Alton Brown, just fyi.
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Luisa, what a kind and generous act. I’d like to add that while you and other commenters mention what you see as the wide distance between your and your family’s circumstances, the actual truth is that unforeseen things can happen, and all of us can be at peril of having to ask for help and perhaps even having to be in a shelter or placing our children in a hopefully temporary foster care placement for safety. In some parts of Europe as well as America, there are so many people out of work and so many so poor that there is little, if any, hope for the future. For the sake of all our children, let’s emphasize Community with our fellow human beings by following through with action such as yours. We can do so much good for all the Dasanis!
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I admire you for not only taking this cause to heart, but finding a way to act on it. And QUICKLY. Many people, such as myself, simply ruminate on these problematic inequalities. But you’re taking action in the best way you know how, and creatively at that. Thank you for doing this and thank you for (unintentionally) inspiring me.
I’ll bid $50 for Roasting: A Simple Art
and $35 for 15-minute Meals
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$10 for the Nepenthe Cookbook. This is a wonderful idea! I read the articles, too. I have three daughters. The New York Times story breaks my heart. Bless you for thinking of some action, and in such a beautiful way.
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Homesick Texan – $25
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$75 for Ad Hoc!
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someone has to bid on the Ham book — $10!
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$25 for Alton Brown and $40 for Food 52!
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$45 for Deb’s Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
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$15 for the French Farmhouse Cookbook 🙂
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“What if Christmas,” he thought, “Doesn’t come from a store? What if Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more?”
Great idea, Luisa. 🙂 $100 for the Claudia Fleming book.
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$30 for Alton Brown. Wonderful idea, Luisa! Thanks for including us.
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$120 for Claudia Fleming
and $100 for Suvir Saran
this is a marvellous thing you are starting here…
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$150 for The Last Course. I’ve been wanting this for ever and this way the money goes to a good cause.
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Great idea!
$25 for The French Market Cookbook.
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$165 for The Last Course. Thanks.
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$30 for the Homesick Texan
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I was eyeing The Last Course but I’ll bid $90 on Ad Hoc. All such lovely books!
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Alice Medrich’s Chocolate and The Art of Low-Fat Desserts – I’ll bid $60.
Lisa Fain’s Homesick Texan Cookbook – I’ll bid $30.
Thank you, Heidi
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Oops! I didn’t see the bid for $30 for Homesick Texan. I’ll bid $40.
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I’ll bid $75 for the Alice Medrich book please…
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I would like to bid $15 for the French Farmhouse Cookbook, please!
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Lisa already bid that, see comment up a few…just fyi
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I’ll bid $45 for ‘Good Meat’!
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$200 for the MFK Fisher…
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Thank you for doing this.
$100 for Smitten Kitchen.
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$30 for the French Market Cookbook. Thank you,
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I sent a bid yesterday for Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarborough’s Ham, but I don’t see it? I will go again-$15.
I hope someone in my family likes ham? Oh, wait…everyone but me! 🙂
Fab idea for a good cause.
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I didn’t get it! Sorry about that. You’re the highest bidder now.
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This is going to be an expensive Christmas present to myself! $175 for The Last Course.
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French Market Cookbook, $35
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We’re already up to $185 on that one…
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no worries, it may be my computer, or me??? 🙂
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I really want this book! $200 for The Last Course.
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$125 for Suvir Saran’s Indian Home Cooking!
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I’ll bid again for Ad Hoc – $125. Great cause!
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$20 for Grains for a New Generation.
And, just want to echo all who’ve pointed out what a wonderful idea this is!
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$25 for the French Farmhouse cookbook, please!
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$150 for Suvir Saran’s Indian Home Cooking
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Oh boy, I’ve bid twice on other things and just noticed that this book was on your list – Now I must have it! $45 for Clotilde’s French Market cookbook!!
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Someone else bid that amount via email a few hours before you but I wasn’t able to update it until now. Let me know if you want to make a higher offer!
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Count me in for $50 for How to Pick a Peach
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$5 for the How to Pick a Peach copy
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$50 for Coltilde’s please!
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Luisa, so moved by your beautiful idea for how to help–a good reminder that all of us can, at any point in our lives, just stop moving forward and help someone. Thank you. I’d love to contribute both of my books signed (not, of course, likely to demand the prices of say Parson’s or Reichl’s books, but if it helps they’re yours for the bidding). Let me know how else I can help. Bunches of my collection would do much more for Dasani than me. x
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$60 for Ruth Reichl’s Mmmmm: A Feastiary
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$60 for the Homesick Texan, please!
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Wonderful idea – count me in!
Roasting $60
Mmmmm: A Feastiary $70
Alton Brown’s Good Eats 1 & 2 $35
Grains for a New Generation $25
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Alton Brown’s Good Eats $45
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Ad hoc for $150
MFK Fisher’s Cooking from Provincial France $250
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