Are they the same book with different titles, or variations on a theme?

April 20, 2011 2:57 PM

Gwyneth Paltrow's cook book is called My Father's Daughter in the US and Notes from my Kitchen Table in the UK. The synopses I've seen suggest they have the same recipes but different surrounding texts. Are they the same book with different titles, or variations on a theme?

Side question. Why the change in title do with think? And if they are different, why the chance in content?

posted by feelinglistless to food & drink (10 answers total)

They are almost certainly the same. A book can have different titles in the US and UK because they are published by different publishing houses, and for whatever reason, that's what the editor goes with. Some spelling, vocabulary, and measurements (the US uses cups, the UK uses grams, for example) may be different for the different markets.
posted by thinkingwoman at 3:23 PM on April 20, 2011

Why?

Though it may seem odd since she's probably considered "a-list" in both places", I think Paltrow is more famous in the UK than she is in the US... or, at least if you are talking about "relative" fame, Paltrow has a higher level of fame in the UK.

Also, Paltrow, through her website and other ventures, also has a anti-celebrity glow for many in the US that I'm not sure she has in the UK -- so maybe some publishing marketer decided that she'd be more sympathetic if the book was marketed with a slant towards her (also famous but maybe not in the UK) father.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 3:38 PM on April 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Lots of books have different titles in the US and the UK, for example The Golden Compass vs. Northern Lights and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone vs. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. (There are examples other than kids books, but for some reason these are the two I can think of right now.)

Like MCMikeNamara said it has to do with what the different publishers think will sell in their markets.
posted by grapesaresour at 3:50 PM on April 20, 2011

>> Why?

Because I'm interested in this aspect of the publishing industry.

My question's not really about the titles. I'm trying to find out if they're internally exactly the same book.
posted by feelinglistless at 4:04 PM on April 20, 2011

(Sorry - my "why" was about why they might have different titles in this instance)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 4:08 PM on April 20, 2011

(which it seemed like you asked)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 4:08 PM on April 20, 2011

Same book, from the Daily Mail:
"What makes Gwyneth’s book unique is that it is in essence a moving, permanent tribute to her late father. Many of his recipes are included, such as his barbecued salmon with ginger and thyme and his ‘world famous’ pancakes."

I'm guessing the reason for the different names is that in the US, nobody wants to read a Gwyneth Paltrow cooking book, but many people want to read a Gwyneth Paltrow memoir. She has developed a bad reputation through GOOP. Plus, although Gwyneth lives in the UK now, she wasn't as big there back in 2002 when her father died, which is an event that her US fans probably remember.
posted by acidic at 4:20 PM on April 20, 2011

There is a book published in England called My Father's Daughter by Hannah Pool in 2006 to considerable reviews, that probably has most to do with the title change.
posted by parmanparman at 4:45 PM on April 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

This article on Yahoo! Lifestyle UK says they're the same book.

The book is available on Amazon.com and retails for $30 and will be released April 28 under the title Notes From my Kitchen Table in the UK for £20.

The Amazon US link in your question has the More Inside feature, so to confirm it for yourself, you could use it to read the first couple of pages, then check the book in a bookstore when it comes out next week (since I see you're in the UK).
posted by Georgina at 4:51 PM on April 20, 2011

@MCMikeNamara

Yes, sorry for being defensed, realised as soon as I went offline last night but was too sleepy to come back.

Thanks everyone else. I'd forgotten about the Hannah Pool book.
posted by feelinglistless at 11:48 PM on April 20, 2011