Josephine Elder was the pen name of Olive Gwendoline Potter (5 December 1895 – 24 July 1988), an English writer of children's literature who published ten school stories between 1924 and 1940 as well as numerous short stories for annuals. She is widely regarded as one of the best writers of the girls'

school story The school story is a fiction genre centring on older pre-adolescent and adolescent school life, at its most popular in the first half of the twentieth century. While examples do exist in other countries, it is most commonly set in English boardi ...

. Her most acclaimed book is the 1929 title, ''Evelyn Finds Herself''. Twenty years later Clare Mallory, another leading exponent of the girls' school story, dedicated one of her own books, ''Juliet Overseas'' to Josephine Elder, describing her as "Author of the best girls' school story I know: ''Evelyn Finds Herself''." In addition to her children's books Josephine Elder also wrote six novels for adults. Throughout her writing career she continued to practise as a doctor.

Biography

Born in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, Elder was educated at Croydon High School and later at

Girton College Girton College is one of the Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1 ...

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

where she studied Natural Sciences. She practised as a G.P. in Sutton, Surrey from 1923 to 1983.

Bibliography

School stories

*''Erica Wins Through'' (Chambers, 1924) *''The Scholarship Girl'' (Chambers, 1925) *''The Scholarship Girl at Cambridge'' (Chambers, 1926) *''Thomasina Toddy'' (Chambers, 1927) *''Evelyn Finds Herself'' (OUP, 1929) *''Barbara at School'' (Blackie, 1930) *''The Redheads'' (OUP, 1931)

Farm school series

*''Exile for Annis'' (Collins, 1938) *''Cherry Tree Perch'' (Collins, 1939) *''Strangers at the Farm School'' (Collins, 1940)

As editor

*''School Stories for Girls'' (Hutchinson, 1935)

Adult novels

as Margaret Potter *''Sister Anne Resigns'' (Selwyn & Blount, 1931) *''The Mystery of the Purple Bentley'' (Selwyn & Blount, 1932) as Josephine Elder *''Lady of Letters'' (Lutterworth, 1949) *''The Encircled Heart'' (Lutterworth, 1951) *''The Doctor's Children'' (Lutterworth, 1954) *''Fantastic Honeymoon'' (Robert Hale, 1961)

Recent reprints

*''Evelyn Finds Herself'' ( Girls Gone By Publishers, 2006) *''Lady of Letters'' (Greyladies, 2008) *''The Encircled Heart'' (Greyladies, 2009) *''Erica Wins Through'' ( Girls Gone By Publishers, 2010)