Recipes Into Type

by Joan Whitman

A comprehensive style manual and indispensable reference for cookbook writers and editors -- or for anyone who wants to write recipes that work. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062700340
• ISBN13: 9780062700346
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Simply the best

As the editor of cookbooks, I have found nothing to compare to this valuable reference book. I recommend it to any serious cookbook authors who want their recipes to be clear, consistent, and appealing.

A really superior volume on writing recipes

I've been teaching an online class on how to write and publish a cookbook for 5 years. I've also self-published a cookbook. RECIPES INTO TYPE is the most useful book I've seen on the subject.I've been amused as time after time students have expressed surprise and wonder at the different ways there are to present recipes. They have learned, through studying books like this one, to evaluate cookbooks as well as to construct easy to read, well designed and consistent ones for themselves.A lot of cookbooks are carelessly constructed, written by inarticulate writers. Too many recipes are unclear in their instructions or ingredients are missing or out of order. RECIPES INTO TYPE attempts to provide standards of styling and handling for food writers and editors.Suggestions begin with titling. The title should be "inviting and even a little romantic," they say. They describe the use of headnotes and devote time and space to how to list ingredients (another area that consistently suprised my students). They really get into details here, like combining different quantities of the same ingredient, not combining different ingredients, being specific, giving alternatives and more. These are things the average food writer just doesn't think of, and its detail like this that often is left out of the average how to write a cookbook book.The authors go into similar detail about writing instructions, too. Everyone remembers to divide steps logically, but few notice redundancies or think to share their knowledge of cooking when writing them. They also seldom remember to tell readers about alternative ingredients, but these authors remember.The book is full of information but its strong point is that it provides standardization in an area that really needs it. It's too bad that the chairpersons of various community cookbook committees don't look to this book for advice. They would certainly turn out a superior product if they did.

An excellent reference book.

As a technical writer assembling my first celebrity cookbook, I'm stunned to learn the depth of detail that goes into assuring successful recipe writing. Every page of RIT is crammed with nuts-and-bolts advice certain to provide delicious results. And save me hours of work. Seeking mentorship from a variety of sources, I found inspiration from Writing Cookbooks because of its "gee whiz let's put on a show" overview ranging from book concept, recipe testing, and project funding. But it is Recipes Into Type -- which seems the definitive manual on the professional and clear construction of recipes for publication -- that will become my worn and tattered desk reference. RIT is a well organized how-to-get-it-right book (a.k.a. not light reading).