FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

On a lighter topic than I've been able to write as of late, so many people have written, called, and emailed over the past 5 years about Elizabeth's original cookbook, entitled "The Amish Cook Cookbook." I think part of the appeal of that book was its charm. The book was self-published by yours truly and written by Elizabeth. It is a 192-page book crammed with recipes and cultural stories. It's not the world's most polished book. A New York book publisher gently called it an "honest" book. There are some errors in the index and it's just not the fanciest book you'll ever find. But, not a bad job for a then 21-year-old college kid and a 60-something Amish woman if I do say so myself.

Today, Elizabeth's column is in a much larger number of newspapers and the demand for a cookbook from her has grown. So in the Spring of 2001, there will be a new cookbook by Elizabeth in bookstores. This one will be professionally published and a very wonderful, colorful book crammed with culture, recipes, and vignettes. A very fine publishing company called Ten Speed Press (www.tenspeedpress.com) is producing the book. They've won numerous awards for their work and are doing Elizabeth's book justice. Elizabeth, despite her rough year, continues to work hard on the book. Stay tuned for more details.

The original cookbook went out of print in 1996. I do have some back copies that I will offer to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis at The Amish Cook Shoppe. When they are gone, they are gone. Any orders received after they are gone will be returned. There are two types of the original book available:

The Amish Cook Cookbook (AC_BK1), bound edition - 22 copies left, these will sell for $29.95, plus shipping. Some copies are slightly damaged.

There are 81 hand-bound copies of the original book (AC_BK2) as "shopped" to major publishers, signed by Elizabeth, which will sell for $24.95. Both of these books and more and now available at The Amish Cook Shoppe.

Kevin Williams
Executive Editor
Oasis Newsfeatures