From the M*A*S*H Library 24: Secrets of the M*A*S*H Mess (50th Anniversary Edition)

What is it?

Maxwell, Jeff. Secrets of the M*A*S*H Mess: The Lost Recipes of Private Igor: 50th Anniversary Edition. Monee, IL, 2023.

Why should M*A*S*H fans care?

It is not often that a member of the M*A*S*H cast writes a book that is solely dedicated to the series. Jeff Maxwell not only writes about himself, but he writes as Private Igor, and we get a glimpse into the culinary mind of the M*A*S*H cook.

As a M*A*S*H fan, what part(s) should I read?

All of it! Enjoy the photos, read the extra information, and try a few recipes!

TL;DR Review

With 29 more pages, 60+ new photos, three new chapters, a new introduction by Maxwell for the M*A*S*H 50th anniversary, and several new recipes, the updated edition of Secrets of the M*A*S*H Mess: The Lost Recipes of Private Igor is a must own for any M*A*S*H fan. Whether you have a copy of the original, or you are going to buy your first copy, this is a great edition of the book with fun photos, stories, and recipes!

Full Review

(Disclosure: I provided scans of several images that appear in the book and received credit for doing so in Maxwell’s acknowledgements. My assistance was voluntary, and I did not receive a copy of the book for review purposes. I bought a copy of the book for my collection, and the opinions expressed here are my own.)

When I reviewed Secrets of the M*A*S*H Mess: The Lost Recipes of Private Igor in April 2023, I said that the majority of the book was about Private Igor’s recipes and time at the 4077th, but the “main course” of the book were the chapters at the end from Jeff Maxwell. His behind the scenes photos and stories made the book even more special. In this 50th Anniversary Edition of the book, Maxwell gives us even more of his personal photos and introduces us to members of the crew whose names often didn’t appear in the show’s credits. This updated edition of the book offers much more than three square meals, so let’s see what’s new!

On the podcast M*A*S*H Matters, hosts Maxwell and Ryan Patrick have been teasing the release of this updated edition of the M*A*S*H cookbook for a few months. Maxwell explained that he wasn’t happy with how the publisher was selling sub-par copies book since the publisher had lost the original proof. He acquired the rights to the book from the original publisher and worked with designer Arthur Healey to bring the book back to life. And they have done an excellent job. The new book is in a slightly larger format, the photos look great, the design is clean, and the recipes are often presented with a screenshot or two from M*A*S*H. They could have simply re-released the book as it was when it was published in 1997, but Maxwell took the time to expand it.

Since the book was already getting a makeover, it made sense to add a few recipes, photos, and stories. In fact, there are 29 more pages than there were in the original book. In those pages we get the new recipes, an expanded photo section, three new chapters at the end, and additional commentary from Maxwell throughout the book. The highlight of the original book was the behind the scenes photos taken by Maxwell, and the 50th Anniversary Edition expands on that with more photos and more captions. In the chapter “Faces of Production,” we get to meet many of the people who worked behind the camera, including Albert Frankel, the director of men’s wardrobe. (I have several of Frankel’s scripts in my collection including “A War for All Seasons” (09×06), “Death Takes a Holiday” (09×05), “No Sweat” (09×11), and the production documents for “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” (11×16).)

Another unique addition is in the chapter “Sophie’s Choice” in which Maxwell recounts a story that I had not heard before about the horse who portrayed Sophie in the M*A*S*H episode “The Colonel’s Horse” (05×11). The story offers a glimpse into some of the challenges of working with animals on set, and he provides some personal photos from that day of filming at The Ranch. The final new chapter is “Meanwhile Back and Ranch,” and it includes photos from the 50th anniversary of M*A*S*H gathering that M*A*S*H Matters hosted at Malibu Creek State Park on September 17, 2022. There are some great photos from that day including photos with Patrick, Maxwell, several fans, and actress Eileen Saki, who played “Rosie” later in the series.

The 50th anniversary edition of Maxwell’s book is more than just a re-release of the original. There is enough new material here to justify owning both versions of the book (and, of course, I have to own both as a completionist). There are more than 60 new photos in the book from the set, and that alone is worth the price. What Maxwell accomplishes in this book is adding to the M*A*S*H story by providing more behind the scenes photos, sharing more stories, and, most importantly, introducing us to unsung members of the crew who made M*A*S*H possible week after week for eleven years. You can order a copy of Secrets of the M*A*S*H Mess: The Lost Recipes of Private Igor: 50th Anniversary Edition here, and I highly recommend that you do.