Difference between revisions of "Mills and Boon"
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[[Image:MB logo.jpg|right]] | [[Image:MB logo.jpg|right]] | ||
== The Company == | == The Company == | ||
| − | '''Mills & Boon Limited''' was founded in 1908 by Gerald Mills and Charles Boon, | + | '''Mills & Boon Limited''' was founded in 1908 by Gerald Mills and Charles Boon. Although publishing writers like comic novelist P. G Wodehouse in the beginning, romance fiction became the publisher's primary business. As the company grew, its books became known as ''the books in brown'' in the 1920s because of their distinctive binding, although eyecatching dust jackets became the selling points in the 1930s. Equally new was the idea to publish new titles in regular intervals - every fortnight - thus setting the pattern for many romance lines to follow. |
By building a strong relationship with lending libraries and making their product available through newsagents, Mills & Boon's reasonably priced product was easy-to-purchase, leading to increased sales. In 1957, [[Harlequin Enterprises Limited]], then a smaller publisher, acquired rights to Mills & Boon's ''Doctor Nurse Romances'', which lead to eventually romance fiction comprising [[Harlequin|Harlequin's]] entire list. From that moment on both companies bought titles from each other. Some paperback [[Harlequin Romance|Harlequin Romances]] were published as ''Mills & Boon Romances'' in the UK but kept their original [[Harlequin Romance]] numbering. | By building a strong relationship with lending libraries and making their product available through newsagents, Mills & Boon's reasonably priced product was easy-to-purchase, leading to increased sales. In 1957, [[Harlequin Enterprises Limited]], then a smaller publisher, acquired rights to Mills & Boon's ''Doctor Nurse Romances'', which lead to eventually romance fiction comprising [[Harlequin|Harlequin's]] entire list. From that moment on both companies bought titles from each other. Some paperback [[Harlequin Romance|Harlequin Romances]] were published as ''Mills & Boon Romances'' in the UK but kept their original [[Harlequin Romance]] numbering. | ||
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* [[Mills and Boon Blaze|Blaze]] - titles form the [[Harlequin Blaze]] imprint with independent numbering and different covers | * [[Mills and Boon Blaze|Blaze]] - titles form the [[Harlequin Blaze]] imprint with independent numbering and different covers | ||
* [[Mills and Boon By Request|By Request]] - reissue series for Mills & Boon titles | * [[Mills and Boon By Request|By Request]] - reissue series for Mills & Boon titles | ||
| − | * [[Mills and Boon Desire|Desire]] - two titles from the | + | * [[Mills and Boon Desire|Desire]] - two titles from the [[Silhouette Desire]] imprint in one volume (formerly also called ''Silhouette Desire'') |
* [[Mills and Boon Historical Romance|Historical]]™ (formerly called ''Masquerade Historical Romance'', ''Legacy of Love'' and ''Historical Romance'') | * [[Mills and Boon Historical Romance|Historical]]™ (formerly called ''Masquerade Historical Romance'', ''Legacy of Love'' and ''Historical Romance'') | ||
* [[Mills and Boon Intrigue|Intrigue]] - suspense titles form various [[Harlequin]] and [[Silhouette]] imprints (formerly called ''Silhouette Intrigue'') | * [[Mills and Boon Intrigue|Intrigue]] - suspense titles form various [[Harlequin]] and [[Silhouette]] imprints (formerly called ''Silhouette Intrigue'') | ||
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* [[Modern Romance|Modern]]™ - with [[Modern Heat|Modern™ Heat]] (formerly called ''Modern Romance and replacing ''the ''[[Mills and Boon Presents|Mills & Boon Presents]]'' line) | * [[Modern Romance|Modern]]™ - with [[Modern Heat|Modern™ Heat]] (formerly called ''Modern Romance and replacing ''the ''[[Mills and Boon Presents|Mills & Boon Presents]]'' line) | ||
* [[Mills and Boon New Romance|Romance]] (formerly the ''[[Mills and Boon Enchanted|Mills & Boon Enchanted]]'' and ''[[Tender Romance]]'' line) | * [[Mills and Boon New Romance|Romance]] (formerly the ''[[Mills and Boon Enchanted|Mills & Boon Enchanted]]'' and ''[[Tender Romance]]'' line) | ||
| − | * [[Mills and Boon Special Edition|Special Edition]] - titles from the | + | * [[Mills and Boon Special Edition|Special Edition]] - titles from the [[Silhouette Special Edition]] imprint with independent numbering and different covers (formerly also called ''Silhouette Special Edition'') |
* [[Mills and Boon Spotlight|Spotlight]] - reissue series for the Mills & Boon ''Silhouette'' titles | * [[Mills and Boon Spotlight|Spotlight]] - reissue series for the Mills & Boon ''Silhouette'' titles | ||
| − | * [[Mills and Boon Superromance|SuperRomance]] - titles form the [[Harlequin Superromance]] imprint with independent numbering and different covers | + | * [[Mills and Boon Superromance|SuperRomance]] - titles form the [[Harlequin Superromance]] imprint with independent numbering and different covers (formerly called ''Silhouette SuperRomance'' |
=== Defunct Imprints === | === Defunct Imprints === | ||
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== Further Reading == | == Further Reading == | ||
| − | * [http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/cgi-bin/millsandboon.filereader?461262c700a12d24273f58d0dc9e068f+EN/catalogs/1124 | + | * Mills & Boon's history on its [http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/cgi-bin/millsandboon.filereader?461262c700a12d24273f58d0dc9e068f+EN/catalogs/1124 website] |
| − | * Joseph McAleer, Passion's Fortune: The Story of Mills & Boon, Oxford University Press, 1999; The history of Mills & Boon, written for the 90th anniversary of the firm - partly available via [http://books.google.de/books?id=wjS2ORhcB0UC&printsec=frontcover#PPP15,M1 Google Books] | + | * Joseph McAleer, Passion's Fortune: The Story of Mills & Boon, Oxford University Press, 1999; The history of Mills & Boon, written for the 90th anniversary of the firm in 1998, with a very detailed account of the relationship between Mills & Boon and [[Harlequin]] in the early days of their cooperation and eventually merger - partly available via [http://books.google.de/books?id=wjS2ORhcB0UC&printsec=frontcover#PPP15,M1 Google Books]. |
* [http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/100-years-of-romancing-.3631764.jp 100 years of romancing the readers] - Yorkshire Press (1/2008) | * [http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features/100-years-of-romancing-.3631764.jp 100 years of romancing the readers] - Yorkshire Press (1/2008) | ||
| + | * Some hints on the [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3246700.ece guidelines] for a Mills & Boon romance. | ||
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/pip/mtwqo/ A Hundred Years of Mills and Boon] - British comedian Lucy Porter examines the centennial of Mills & Boon on this radio program. Guests include Helen Fielding, Fay Weldon, and Roger Sanderson, a male romance novelist. | * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/pip/mtwqo/ A Hundred Years of Mills and Boon] - British comedian Lucy Porter examines the centennial of Mills & Boon on this radio program. Guests include Helen Fielding, Fay Weldon, and Roger Sanderson, a male romance novelist. | ||
* Many more items on Mills & Boon are listed in the page about [[Romance in the Media]]. | * Many more items on Mills & Boon are listed in the page about [[Romance in the Media]]. | ||
Revision as of 14:43, 13 July 2008
Contents
The Company
Mills & Boon Limited was founded in 1908 by Gerald Mills and Charles Boon. Although publishing writers like comic novelist P. G Wodehouse in the beginning, romance fiction became the publisher's primary business. As the company grew, its books became known as the books in brown in the 1920s because of their distinctive binding, although eyecatching dust jackets became the selling points in the 1930s. Equally new was the idea to publish new titles in regular intervals - every fortnight - thus setting the pattern for many romance lines to follow.
By building a strong relationship with lending libraries and making their product available through newsagents, Mills & Boon's reasonably priced product was easy-to-purchase, leading to increased sales. In 1957, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, then a smaller publisher, acquired rights to Mills & Boon's Doctor Nurse Romances, which lead to eventually romance fiction comprising Harlequin's entire list. From that moment on both companies bought titles from each other. Some paperback Harlequin Romances were published as Mills & Boon Romances in the UK but kept their original Harlequin Romance numbering.
By the early 1960's the lending libraries were beginning to close down as the public turned more and more to buying the now well-established, readily available and very reasonably priced paperback editions. Mills & Boon, faced with a rapid decline of its traditional market, investigated the possibility of publishing its hitherto hardcover editions in paperback format. In 1964 Mills & Boon launched its own paperback Romance imprint although hardcovers remained a mayor output. Until today (2008) most titles of the genuine Mills & Boon imprints (the two Romance lines and the medical and historical romances) are released 2 month prior to the paperback edition as hardcovers and months later as large prints. Thus many paperback series titles of January and February have a release date of the previous year.
Harlequin Enterprises Limited purchased Mills & Boon Limited in 1971, but only as late as May 1995 the publisher's name changed to Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited, whereas Mills & Boon is still used for the imprints.
In 1974 Mills & Boon established Mills & Boon Australia, now Harlequin Mills & Boon Australia, the first venture outside North-America and the United Kingdom. The latest step abroad was founding Harlequin Mills & Boon India Private Ltd in December 2007 to distribute Mills & Boon titles printed in India for the Indian market
When Harlequin Enterprises Limited bought Silhouette in 1984, Mills & Boon took over publishing the Silhouette Desire and Silhouette Special Edition imprints in the UK from Hodder & Stoughton and set up its own Silhouette line. In March 2007 the Silhouette nomination was dropped and all imprints were labelled Mills & Boon.
Mills & Boon adopted the Mira imprint in 1995 as a line to publish single titles. It included releases from the North American imprint of that name as well as Harlequin and Silhouette Special Releases and lately HQN titles.
For a long time every Mills & Boon and Silhouette imprint had its characteristic cover. This changed in July 2000 when the Mills & Boon imprints got an uniform cover and only its different colouring marked the imprint. These covers got a complete overhaul in July 2004 and July 2007, the later including the former Silhouette imprints, renamed to Mills & Boon in March 2007.
Online
Imprints
Current Imprints
- Blaze - titles form the Harlequin Blaze imprint with independent numbering and different covers
- By Request - reissue series for Mills & Boon titles
- Desire - two titles from the Silhouette Desire imprint in one volume (formerly also called Silhouette Desire)
- Historical™ (formerly called Masquerade Historical Romance, Legacy of Love and Historical Romance)
- Intrigue - suspense titles form various Harlequin and Silhouette imprints (formerly called Silhouette Intrigue)
- Medical™ (formerly called Doctor Nurse Romance, Love on Call and Medical Romance)
- Modern™ - with Modern™ Heat (formerly called Modern Romance and replacing the Mills & Boon Presents line)
- Romance (formerly the Mills & Boon Enchanted and Tender Romance line)
- Special Edition - titles from the Silhouette Special Edition imprint with independent numbering and different covers (formerly also called Silhouette Special Edition)
- Spotlight - reissue series for the Mills & Boon Silhouette titles
- SuperRomance - titles form the Harlequin Superromance imprint with independent numbering and different covers (formerly called Silhouette SuperRomance
Defunct Imprints
- Best Seller Romance - reissue series (formerly Classics and Favourites)
- Duet - reissue series (formerly Omnibus and Collection)
- Enchanted™ - was replaced by the Tender Romance line
- Harlequin Love Affair - titles of the Harlequin American Romance imprint; was replaced by the Silhouette Sensation imprint
- Modern (Romance)™ Extra - supplement series to Modern Romance™/Modern™; now the Modern™ Heat
- Packs - 3 or 4 themed titles in a slipcase
- Mills & Boon Presents™ - was replaced by the Modern Romance™ line
- Romance - split into the two current Romance lines
- Sensual Romance™ - titles of the Harlequin Temptation imprint; was discontinued when that line ceased
- Silhouette Sensation - titles of the Silhouette Intimate Moments and Harlequin American Romance imprints; was merged into the Mills & Boon Intrigue imprint
- Tender Romance™ - was replaced by the Mills & Boon (New) Romance
- Temptation - titles form the Harlequin Temptation imprint with independent numbering and different covers; was replaced by the Mills & Boon Sensual Romance imprint
Reissue Series/Collections
- Anne Mather Collectors's Edition
- Betty Neels Collectors's Edition
- Foreign Affairs
- Lynne Graham Collection
- Pennington
- Penny Jordan Collectors's Edition
Further Reading
- Mills & Boon's history on its website
- Joseph McAleer, Passion's Fortune: The Story of Mills & Boon, Oxford University Press, 1999; The history of Mills & Boon, written for the 90th anniversary of the firm in 1998, with a very detailed account of the relationship between Mills & Boon and Harlequin in the early days of their cooperation and eventually merger - partly available via Google Books.
- 100 years of romancing the readers - Yorkshire Press (1/2008)
- Some hints on the guidelines for a Mills & Boon romance.
- A Hundred Years of Mills and Boon - British comedian Lucy Porter examines the centennial of Mills & Boon on this radio program. Guests include Helen Fielding, Fay Weldon, and Roger Sanderson, a male romance novelist.
- Many more items on Mills & Boon are listed in the page about Romance in the Media.
