Jean & Company, Unlimited

In November, 1937, Helen Perry Curtis published Jean & Company, Unlimited. Aimed at young readers, Jean is the story of an American girl’s first European trip. Favorably reviewed, Jean & Company was named the Junior Literary Guild Selection of the Month in January, 1938.

In 2020, Laura Gellott published Helen Perry Curtis and the European Trip of a Lifetime, a biography of Curtis. That book sparked renewed interest in Jean & Company, by then long out of print.

Now, thanks to the publisher and editors at Parafine Press, Jean & Company, Unlimited, is available to a new audience: whether the young adult readers for whom it was first intended, or older readers discovering-or revisiting-the charming story of an American girl’s first encounter with Europe. For all readers, the book’s underlying message is a timeless one: an affirmation of the bond between mothers and daughters, and, in the words of the original New York Times book review, a tempting invitation to travel which stresses the most essential of travelers’ requirements: good-will and a readiness for experience.