Irish America magazine - Dec '05/Jan '06 issue: Peter Quinn, Dearbhla Molloy in Eugene O’Neill’s A Touch of the Poet, Compass Records, Sean Óg Ó hAilpín, John F. Kennedy, John Banville wins Booker Prize, Tom Westman

What a life Carmel Snow led! She knew, discovered or worked with a list of names that encompasses a seemingly impossible number and timeframe for one life: Conde Nast, William Randolph Hearst, Coco Chanel (pictured and hundreds of fascinating artists, politicians writers and designers.

One of the greatest fashion editor ever, Snow (pictured at right with Coco Chanel) was certainly the first to make it such an important, wide-ranging profession. She lived and worked through two World Wars, spent 11 years at Vogue and an astounding 25 at Bazaar and inspired countless art and fashion revolutions.

Not bad for an Irish girl who began life in Dalkey, a coastal village south of Dublin. At last Snow’s colorful, highly entertaining life story is brought alive by author Penelope Rowland in A Dash of Daring published by Atria Books ($29.95). Rowland offers a fascinating behind the scenes look at the fashion history, and a thoroughly enjoyable portrait of a unique woman, and her amazing mother who emigrated as a widow, and made a fortune alongside Bergdorf and Bendel and raised her six children in the higher levels of New York society.