Anthony Bourdain's 2000 Tell-All Kitchen Confidential Hits Another Big Milestone

It has been exactly two weeks since beloved chef and Parts Unknown host Anthony Bourdain died by suicide, discovered in France by his dear friend and colleague Eric Ripert. The very same day, June 8, Bourdain’s 2000 book Kitchen Confidential hit the the top of Amazon’s best-seller list. (It now sits at No. 3, following works by the commentator Charles Krauthamme, who died yesterday.)

And today, the tell-all Kitchen Confidential has hit another milestone — 18 years after it was first published, and 19 years after the publication of Bourdain's 1999 New Yorker essay that spawned the book and launched his major stardom. The New York Times announced today that the book tops two of its nonfiction best-seller lists for the second week in a row: paperback, as well as combined e-book and print.

The Times original rave review declared, "Bourdain gleefully rips through the scenery to reveal private backstage horrors little dreamed of by the trusting public."

The Times also notes that although the book has never gone out of print, demand has soared since Bourdain's death. Many retailers have sold out, causing the book's publisher, Ecco, to scramble to keep up with demand. “We actually keep quite a bit of stock of this title on hand because it’s always been a consistent seller for us week in and week out,” Ecco’s associate publisher, Miriam Parker, told The Times. “Our inventory team also reacted swiftly and ordered a large reprint immediately upon the unexpected and heartbreaking news.”