Tuesday 7 June 2011

Un Roman Harlequin Part I

In 1960 Harlequin Books published Patricia et le Noveau Medecin, the French version of an earlier English edition of one of the nurse romances that were so popular well into the sixties. Pat Whitney R. N. had been published in December 1955 and reprinted in February 1957 and February 1959.

My guess is that there are others but this is the only example of an early Harlequin roman that I've seen.

Harlequin 347 - December 1955

Harlequin 347 back

Harlequin 347f - 1960

Harlequin 347f back

4 comments:

  1. An amusing back cover. Long sentences, one taking up the entire first paragraph, filled with superfluous information. Nurse Pat, we're told, works at "Blair Memorial Hospital over in Westhaven where she was a general duty nurse, and several of [Dr Hale's] patients were among those she attended."

    Interesting to see that while the French edition changes the doctor's name to Durand, and his pal Don becomes Daniel, all other names featured on the cover remain the same.

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  2. I only just noticed that what is identified as a "Roman Harlequin" on the back remains "A HARLEQUIN BOOK" on the front. Makes me think that the in putting together the French cover they didn't start afresh, but used the English as a template.

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  3. Harlequin did change the "complete and unabridged" tag but, as you say, not this phrase. Given the unattractive effort on the first phrase they were wise to leave the second alone.

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  4. Goodness, I hadn't noticed the "TEXTE INTÉGRAL" substitution. I suppose its possible that they no longer had the original cover painting. Seems all too often these sorts of things were tossed in the trash.

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