Harlequin and Mills & Boon Part I

Mills & Boon is the largest UK publisher of romance fiction. A "Mills & Boon" romance is as well known there as a "Harlequin" romance is in the rest of the world. Harlequin Enterprises has owned Mills & Boon for some 40 years. But the relationship reaches further back - to 1957. With Harlequin's romance books outselling the other genres, Harlequin contacted Mills & Boon to see if the Canadian reprint rights to their books could be purchased.

They could and the first Mills & Boon reprint was The Hospital in Buwambo by Anne Vinton. A further 46 followed in 1958 and 1959 - 50% of the 90 books published during those two years. Through the '60s nearly every book Harlequin published was a Mills & Boon reprint. Here are four early ones.

Harlequin 407 - December 1957

Harlequin 407 back

Harlequin 416 - March 1958

Harlequin 423 back

Harlequin 423 - May 1958

original title - City Nurse

Harlequin 423 back

Harlequin 431 - July 1958

Harlequin 431 back