Penelope Rowlands

I'm a biographer who's currently working on a book that examines the later years of Aaron Burr, one of the more profoundly -- and intriguingly -- misunderstood figures in American history.

I hasten to add that I've been working on this project since well before a certain hip-hop musical relevant to Mr. Burr arrived on the scene!

My other books include A Dash of Daring: Carmel Snow and Her Life in Fashion, Art, and Letters, a biography of the legendary editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar (1934-1958), published by Atria Books in 2005 and Simon & Schuster UK the following year.

My most recent work includes two anthologies, both published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. In each case, I compiled and edited the volume, while also contributing the introduction and an essay of my own.

Paris Was Ours: 32 Writers Reflect on the City of Light (2011) -- now in its 7th printing -- examines the transformative effect of living in the French capital, something I've done recurrently over the years. The Beatles Are Here: 50 Years After The Band Arrived in America, Writers, Musicians, and Other Fans Remember was inspired by a photograph of me -- screaming, of course -- that ran in The New York Times when a certain band came to town, with ecstatic multitudes in its wake.

I'm also the author of three books on design, including monographs on two famous European industrial designers, Jean Prouvé and Eileen Gray, both published in 2002 as part of Chronicle Books's Compact Design series. Weekend Houses, an illustrated book on which I collaborated with the photographer Mark Darley, was published by the same house in 2000.