Martha Stewart has published 100 books across her long and eventful career, but perhaps none is more beloved than her first, “Entertaining.” Published in 1982, and long out of print, it has attracted a number of new fans who have lately paid up to $450 for an original hardcover copy. Because of its seemingly undying appeal, it will soon be back in bookstores in all its 1980s glory.
Two recent documentaries about Ms. Stewart — “The Many Lives of Martha Stewart,” which aired on CNN, and “Martha,” on Netflix — introduced the 83-year-old entrepreneur and O.G. influencer to a generation too young to have witnessed her rise, but that now admires her entrepreneurial hustle and self-determination. Some of these new fans want their own copies of “Entertaining,” which both films featured prominently.
Copies of the hardcover in good condition are listed at $173 and up on Amazon and the e-commerce site AbeBooks. There has also been plenty of action on eBay, where “Entertaining” has sold for as much as $311 and a pristine, shrink-wrapped copy is listed at more than $1,700.
Meredith Hayden, the former private chef behind the popular TikTok account Wishbone Kitchen, said in a widely shared video that she had lost four eBay bidding wars before winning her copy. Others have been visiting secondhand stores to score cheap used copies and posting humble brag videos when they do.
Speaking by phone, Ms. Stewart, who published her 100th book last fall, did not sound surprised by the surge of interest in “Entertaining,” especially among young people. “They have been avidly watching the documentary and were introduced to a new, cool, badass woman who wrote a book in 1982 that appeals to them,” she said.
Published by Clarkson Potter back when Ms. Stewart was a caterer in Westport, Conn., “Entertaining” has sold more than a million copies. The new buzz around the 43-year-old best seller has led the imprint to reissue the book, said Aaron Wehner, the publisher of Clarkson Potter, a division of Crown Publishing Group. That edition is slated to be released in October.
Kathleen Gillespey, 27, a Martha fan in Austin, Texas, said she wanted to have her own copy of “Entertaining” but was unwilling to pay the asking prices. Luckily, her aunt, Hailey Gonzalez, 59, had received the book as a present when she got married, in 1992.
“When the documentary came out, I thought, ‘I need to go find this book,’” Ms. Gillespey said. “Hailey said, ‘Kathleen, I have it, when you come visit, we’ll go through it.’”
Ms. Gonzalez keeps her well-thumbed copy in her butler’s pantry, at her home in Laredo, Texas. Over the years, she has cooked from its many recipes and followed Ms. Stewart’s tips for hosting. “After talking to Kathleen, I pulled it out,” she said.
Said Ms. Gillespey: “Julia Child can cook and Ina Garten can cook, but Martha knows how to do presentation. When you look at the book, you’re looking at presentation. That’s why my generation is so into it, because we have social media and we want things to look aesthetically pleasing.”
After watching the CNN documentary, Nick Norcia, 29, a content creator in Los Angeles, realized he had the wrong impression of Ms. Stewart, who worked as a model and a stockbroker before starting her lifestyle brand and becoming the first self-made female billionaire in the United States. “I had thought she was a stay-at-home mom that got famous,” Mr. Norcia said. “I had no idea how fierce she is.”
While watching the film, Mr. Norcia logged onto eBay and bought a copy of “Entertaining” for around $200. “I don’t use it as much as a recipe book,” he said. “More as a springboard and inspiration. Like a retro Pinterest.”
Before the publication of “Entertaining,” Ms. Stewart had been profiled in a few publications, including The New York Times, but was not widely known beyond Manhattan and its upper-crust suburbs. Her break came when she catered a party for the best-selling illustrated book “Gnomes.” Her elaborate tablescapes included gnome-shaped cookies, and she dressed her staff as magical fairies. Alan Mirken, then the president of Crown, was so impressed that he suggested she write a book.
Ms. Stewart enlisted a co-writer, Elizabeth Hawes, a contributor to The New Yorker, and set about making a groundbreaking best seller in her hard-working way. The two documentaries from last year present “Entertaining” as the key to understanding Ms. Stewart and her career, as the thing that made Martha Martha.
Ms. Stewart agreed with that assessment. “In 1982, I was already 41 and had never written a book before,” she said. “I found my voice with this book.”
She recalled insisting that “Entertaining” be printed in all-color, over the objections of her publisher and in contrast to the many text-heavy cookbooks that had come before. She aimed to create a coffee-table book that was “extremely beautiful,” she said, yet useful.
The sumptuous imagery starts with the cover, which was photographed by Michael Skott. It shows a dining table set with a crisp white tablecloth, turquoise glassware and red and yellow poppies bursting out of vases. At the head of the table, dressed in a white frilly dress, her golden blonde hair aglow with the natural light pouring in through windows, Ms. Stewart stands smiling as if inviting the reader into a bountiful gathering.
The abundance continues inside: The book’s 309 pages are stuffed with recipes, anecdotes and tips. Photos depict Ms. Stewart hoeing in the garden, tending her hives of Italian honeybees and grilling steamer boxes of fresh lobsters.
There are dated aspects to the book, especially Ms. Stewart’s love for collecting cookware and other items in this era of minimalist chic. But part of the fun of flipping through the pages is being transported back in time and seeing a pre-fame Martha.
Roger Black, a noted graphic designer, was hired by Crown to design “Entertaining.” He recalled Ms. Stewart inviting him to Turkey Hill, her farm and homemaking laboratory in Connecticut, to discuss the project.
“It was in full bloom,” Mr. Black said. “I don’t know what time of year it was, but it was always in full bloom. I had never seen that many copper sauce pans. It wasn’t 10 times what I was used to, but 100 times. Every aspect of the house was perfect.”
“Her aspirations were so high,” he continued. “She would suck every possible idea out of people. She would encourage them to think better and faster.”
It’s unusual for a publisher to reissue a lifestyle book from decades ago. Rarer still, Clarkson Potter is not planning to recontextualize or refresh “Entertaining,” other than by printing it on nicer paper.
“It’s going to be a straight reissue, which is what I think people want,” Mr. Wehner said. “The expression of the moment, and Martha’s creativity in that moment, we decided, is perfect the way it is.”
Until it comes out, fans like Christina Barras, 32, a makeup artist in Los Angeles, will have to seek out vintage copies. Ms. Barras found “Entertaining” at a public library near her house and posted a triumphant video on TikTok about her find. She said she used the book to get ideas and inspiration for her own hosting endeavors.
“You learn how resourceful she was,” Ms. Barras said of Ms. Stewart. “She could make really simple things really beautiful, with creativity, time and effort.”
Has she tried any of Ms. Stewart’s recipes from the book?
“I did attempt the gingerbread mansion,” Ms. Barras said, laughing. “Mine came out more like a gingerbread dilapidated shack.”
#Martha #Stewarts #Book #Finds #Fans
