Julia Child's cookbook is a best-seller

NEW YORK, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Julia Child's 48-year-old culinary bible "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" is to make its debut at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list Aug. 30.

The 752-page book, which was written half a century ago by the late U.S. chef, author and television personality, has earned renewed attention thanks to the popularity of the blog, book and film, "Julie & Julia."

The Times said "Mastering the Art" will rank No. 1 on its best-seller list next week in the advice and how-to category.

Nielsen BookScan said 22,000 copies of the book were sold in the most recent week tracked. Its publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, said that is more copies sold in any full year since "Mastering" was first released.

Little, Brown reportedly has reprinted Julie Powell's 2005 memoir "Julie & Julia," which is about how she cooked every recipe in Child's book, 13 times this year.

"This was a secret dream that the movie would sell a lot of books," Nora Ephron, the film's writer and director, told The Times. "I'm completely delighted that people are walking out of the multiplex and into the bookstore."