Rosamond du Jardin


Rosamond du Jardin was an author, best known for 17 books for teen girls published in the 1950s and 1960s. Before then, she wrote short stories and serialized novels for numerous magazines. Her work is of enduring interest in gender studies because it provides a useful view of 1950s norms and rites of passage.

Personal life

Rosamond du Jardin was born July 22, 1902 in Fairland, Illinois and grew up in Chicago. She married Victor du Jardin. They had three children. An elementary school in Bloomingdale, Illinois is named for her. Du Jardin died March 27, 1963.

Writing career

Du Jardin's teen series fiction was praised for showing "understanding of the young viewpoint," but like many novels for teen girls of the era, her plots favored romance and conformity. The choice of the right dress and the right boyfriend were often the key to happiness.
Perhaps her most popular series was her four-book set about Pam and Penny Howard, twins who need to learn to establish themselves as individuals. The series begins with the twins' senior year of high school and continues through the end of their college years.
Other series were about Marcy Rhodes and Tobey and Midge Heydon. She also wrote a historical novel, Young and Fair, and co-wrote a work of nonfiction about her daughter's college junior year abroad.
In the 2010s, her books were reissued in facsimile editions by Image Cascade Publishing.
Her papers are preserved at the University of Oregon's Archives West.

Books