The Art of Romance: Harlequin Mills Boon Cover Designs

Since 1908 readers have been finding respite from the vagariesof everyday life in the pages of novels published by Mills &Boon. Now part of the Harlequin group, the world s largestromance publisher, the company has published thousands oftitles, each with its own distinctive jacket art. Part of acentenary celebration, this collection of some two hundredMills & Boon covers offers a fascinating visual record of howour perceptions of romance, love, and drama have evolvedover the years. With titles such as Romance Goes Tenting,Egyptian Honeymoon, and Beware the Beast, these novels contents have changed dramatically as women defined theirroles in the 1920s and 1930s; searched for heroes during WorldWar II; strove for careers in the 1950s; engaged in free love inthe 1960s; yearned for sexual emancipation in the 1970s and1980s; and ultimately learned a lot about self-reliance whilewaiting for Prince Charming to show up. These socialtransformations are reflected in the covers, chronologicallyarranged as full-color plates. An introduction charts thechanging themes of the novels and explores the reasonsbehind the enduring popularity of the romance novel.