The daughter of cookbook writers Samuel Vance and Narcissa (Gellatly) Chamberlain, Narcisse Chamberlain was born on June 17, 1924, in Paris, France. The family moved to Marblehead, Massachusetts, in 1939. Chamberlain received a B.A. from Bennington College in 1946. She was a researcher for Time (1950-1952); a researcher and reporter for Newsweek in Paris, France (1952-1953); an assistant editor for Gourmet (1954-1956); assistant editor with Hasting House Publishers (1956-1960); editor (1960-1966) and vice-president (1966-1968) for the M. Barrows & Co., Inc.; and in 1968, was appointed senior editor specializing in cookbooks at William Morrow and Co.
Chamberlain co-authored The Chamberlain Calendar of French Cooking (annually, 1955-1963), The Chamberlain Calendar of American Cooking (annually, 1956-1959), The Flavor of France (two volumes, 1959, 1964), The Chamberlain Calendar of Italian Cooking (annually, 1960-1963), The Chamberlain Sampler of American Cooking (1960), The Chamberlain Calendar of French Menus (annually, 1964-1965), The Flavor of Italy (1965), and French Menus for Parties (1968). She was also a contributor to the 1988 and 2001 editions of Clémentine in the Kitchen, originally authored by her father.
From the guide to the Papers, ca.1935-1988, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)
