Penelope Rowlands is an Anglo-American author, editor, and journalist best known for her 2005 biography, ''A Dash of Daring:

Carmel Snow Carmel Snow (born Carmel White; 21 August 1887 – 7 May 1961) was the editor-in-chief of the American edition of ''Harper's Bazaar'' from 1934 to 1958; and the chair of the magazine's editorial board. She was famously quoted as saying, "Ele ...

and Her Life in Fashion, Art, and Letters'', about the Irish-born editor-in-chief of ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

'' (from 1934 to 1958).

Biographies

A Dash of Daring

''A Dash of Daring'' was published by

Atria Books Atria may refer to: Science *Atrium (heart) (plural: atria), an anatomical structure of the heart *Atria (genus), a flatworm genus in the family Dendrocoelidae * Atria (star) or Alpha Trianguli Australis, a star in the constellation Triangulum Aus ...

, a division of

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, in the US. The book was published in Britain by Simon and Schuster UK in 2006. A US paperback edition came out in 2008.

Suzy Menkes Suzy Peta Menkes (born 24 December 1943) is a British journalist and fashion critic. Formerly the fashion editor for the International Herald Tribune, Menkes also served as editor, Vogue International, for 25 international editions of '' Vogue ...

wrote in the

International Herald Tribune The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France, for international English-speaking readers. It published under the name ''International Herald Tribune'' starting in 1967, but its ...

that "Penelope Rowlands tells a dense, fast-paced story and deftly puts it in the context of magazine history.... Carmel Snow comes vividly to life. The biography was excerpted in U.S.''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' in September 2005. The British version of

also published an excerpt. Rowlands also wrote short biographies of the European industrial designers

Jean Prouvé Jean Prouvé (; 8 April 1901 – 23 March 1984) was a French metal worker, self-taught architect and designer. Le Corbusier designated Prouvé a constructeur, blending architecture and engineering. Prouvé's main achievement was transferring m ...

and

Eileen Gray Eileen Gray (born Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith; 9 August 187831 October 1976) was an Irish interior designer, furniture designer and architect who became a pioneer of the Modern architecture, Modern Movement in architecture. Over her career, s ...

, both published in 2002.

Anthologies

Paris Was Ours

''Paris Was Ours'' is a collection of essays by thirty-two international writers on Paris and how it changed their lives. The anthology featured writing by

Edmund White Edmund Valentine White III (January 13, 1940 – June 3, 2025) was an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer, and essayist. A pioneering figure in LGBTQ and especially gay literature after the Stonewall riots, he wrote with ra ...

Diane Johnson Diane Johnson (born Diane Lain, April 28, 1934) is an American novelist and essayist whose satirical novels often feature American heroines living in contemporary France. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her novel ''Persian Nights'' ...

, the Cuban novelist

Zoé Valdés Zoé Valdés (born May 2, 1959 in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban novelist, poet, scriptwriter, film director and blogger. She studied at the ''Instituto Superior Pedagógico Enrique José Varona'', but did not graduate. From 1984 to 1988, she worked fo ...

Judith Thurman Judith Thurman (born 1946) is an American writer, biographer, and critic. She is the recipient of the 1983 National Book Award for Nonfiction for her biography ''Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller''. Her book ''Secrets of the Flesh: A Life o ...

, the Iraqi-born Assyrian editor

Samuel Shimon Samuel Shimon (born 1956 in Al-Habbaniyah, Iraq) is an Iraqi writer and journalist of Assyrian descent. He left Iraq in 1979 with dreams of becoming a director in Hollywood, and has since then lived in Damascus, Amman, Beirut, Nicosia, Aden, Cairo ...

and a homeless French blogger, among others. Rowlands edited the collection and wrote its final essay. ''Paris Was Ours'' was chosen as the January 2011, Book of the Month by ''

National Geographic Traveler ''National Geographic Traveler'' is a magazine published by National Geographic Partners, NG Media in Armenia, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Latin America, Israel, Poland, Romania, Slov ...

'' magazine.

The Beatles Are Here!

In 2014 Rowlands edited and contributed an essay to the anthology ''

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Are Here! 50 Years After the Band Arrived in America, Writers, Musicians, and Other Fans Remember'', with contributions by

Gay Talese Gaetano "Gay" Talese (; born February 7, 1932) is an American writer. As a journalist for ''The New York Times'' and ''Esquire (magazine), Esquire'' magazine during the 1960s, he helped to define contemporary literary journalism and is considere ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

, and

Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (né Gerstley; born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biogra ...

. The cover design of the anthology features a photograph of a young Rowlands, screaming and holding a sign, previously published in the ''New York Times''.

Journalism

Rowlands has written articles on cultural subjects for publications such as ''

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

,'' ''

WSJ. ''WSJ Magazine'' (styled on the cover art as WSJ., in upright characters with a dot at the end) is a luxury glossy news and lifestyle monthly magazine published by ''The Wall Street Journal''. It features luxury consumer products advertisemen ...

'' magazine, ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'', the ''

Columbia Journalism Review The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its original purpose was "to assess the performance ...

'', and '' ElleDecor.'' She has contributed historical essays and reporting to

The American Scholar "The American Scholar" was a speech given by Ralph Waldo Emerson on August 31, 1837, to Phi Beta Kappa society of Harvard College at the First Parish in Cambridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was invited to speak in recognition of his groundb ...

. In addition, Rowlands has been a contributing writer to ''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast ...

'' and a contributing editor to ''

ARTnews ''ARTnews'' is an American art magazine, based in New York City. It covers visual arts from ancient to contemporary times. It is the oldest and most widely distributed art magazine in the world. ''ARTnews'' has a readership of 180,000 in 124 co ...

'' and ''

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...

'' magazines. She has written book reviews for the ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'', and other publications.

Fellowships and awards

Leon Levy Fellowship, Summer / Fall 2019. The Center for the History of Collecting, Frick Art Reference Library, The Frick Collection, New York City.

Background

Born in London to an American mother and a British father, Rowlands migrated to the United States with her family at the age of five and was raised in her mother's native New York City. She is a citizen of both the U.S. and Great Britain. She received a B.A. from

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains within the Hudson River Historic District ...

and an M.A. from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. She has lived in California and Paris but now resides in Princeton, New Jersey.

Published works

*2014 ''The Beatles Are Here! 50 Years After The Band's Arrival in America, Writers, Musicians, and Other Fans Remember,'' Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill *2011 ''Paris Was Ours: 32 Writers Reflect on the City of Light,'' Algonquin Books *2005 ''A Dash of Daring: Carmel Snow and Her Life in Fashion, Art, and Letters,'' Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) *2002 ''Jean Prouvé: Visionary Humanist,'' Chronicle Books *2002 ''Eileen Gray: Modern Alchemist,'' Chronicle Books *2000 ''Weekend Houses'' (with photographer Mark Darley), Chronicle Books

References

External links

Penelope Rowlands on TwitterPenelope Rowlands official websiteWorldCat Identities: Penelope Rowlands
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowlands, Penelope Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Writers from London English people of American descent English biographers English women journalists English emigrants to the United States American biographers American women journalists American magazine writers American expatriates in England American women biographers Women anthologists