Since 1908 readers have been finding respite from the vagaries
of everyday life in the pages of novels published by Mills &
Boon. Now part of the Harlequin group, the world s largest
romance publisher, the company has published thousands of
titles, each with its own distinctive jacket art. Part of a
centenary celebration, this collection of some two hundred
Mills & Boon covers offers a fascinating visual record of how
our perceptions of romance, love, and drama have evolved
over the years. With titles such as Romance Goes Tenting,
Egyptian Honeymoon, and Beware the Beast, these novels
contents have changed dramatically as women defined their
roles in the 1920s and 1930s; searched for heroes during World
War II; strove for careers in the 1950s; engaged in free love in
the 1960s; yearned for sexual emancipation in the 1970s and
1980s; and ultimately learned a lot about self-reliance while
waiting for Prince Charming to show up. These social
transformations are reflected in the covers, chronologically
arranged as full-color plates. An introduction charts the
changing themes of the novels and explores the reasons
behind the enduring popularity of the romance novel.