A cultural icon.

Julia child taught millions of Americans to enjoy French cuisine with her popular cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961), and a second volume published in 1970. Her Public Broadcasting System (PBS) program, The French Chef, began in 1963 on Boston's WGBH station and was quickly syndicated and endlessly rebroadcast. By the mid 1970s Julia Child was a popular-culture icon, an imposing (over six feet tall) WASP Francophile matron bustling expertly around a studio kitchen. Her next book, From Julia Child's Kitchen (1975), reflected her celebrity status and witty persona. She won an Emmy in 1966 and many honors from culinary organizations at home and abroad.

Secret Agent Cook.

Julia Child was, however, a cook with a difference. Born in Pasadena and educated at Smith College, she was an Office of Strategic Services (OSS) agent, with assignments that took her all over the world. In Paris...