Me too. I always wanted the set but found them beyond my budget. I was also surprised and delighted to receive the hardcover copy. I was even more surprised that instead of my husband asking me if I really needed another cookbook (I have a few) he immediately picked up volume one, started reading it and was very impressed. He is not familiar with Julia Child other than the movie we watched a couple of years ago. He likes all the added info she has included along with the recipes. VERY pleased.

I have always wanted to own "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". When this came up on sale during Boxing Day, I immediately placed an order and the item arrived 2 days later. Despite being described as a "trade paperback" on Chapter's website, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a boxed set containing two HARDCOVER volumes (albeit the 40th anniversary edition.. but who cares?!). MTAOFC turned out to be everything I was expecting and had heard/read about. The recipes are extremely descriptive - unlike most cookbooks, Julia Child & Co. actually take the time (and space) to teach the readers about techniques... down to the strokes per second when beating oil into egg yolks to make mayonnaise! If you are aspiring to be a better chef (rather than just expanding your repertoire of recipes), you need to get MTAOFC!