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THE BOOK SHELF LI has the largest selection of old romance novels on Long Island. Collecting these books can be a fun and rewarding hobby. Our owner has written a very short introduction (following). For more information check out the links at the end of the article and/or drop by the store. Collecting Romance Novels Ah, romance! From its meager beginnings with such novels as Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, romance writing, in all its sub-categories, now makes up over half of all paperback book sales in the United States. With the development of the mass market paperback about the time of Second World War, the stage was set. The dominant publisher of romance titles today is Harlequin and its various subsidiaries – Silhouette, Mira, Red Dress, Steeple Hill, etc. but most paperback publishers still print romance titles of various kinds. And Harlequin only came across the Pond in 1969. Literally thousands of authors, tens of thousands of titles, from scores of publishers means that the opportunity for collectors is immense. And, also for those reasons, the cost of collecting can be very manageable. But it also causes the daunting question of beginning – what to collect? A few brief notes on romance novels and the structure of the publishing industry as it appears to the reader/collector is in order. Essentially romance novels are printed either as individual titles or as volumes in a series (serial romances). Individual titles, as the name implies, are books that stand on their own, unrelated to other books except as the author determines (such as the three volumes in a trilogy – Blue Dahlia, Red Lily, Black Rose). Series titles, though often unrelated to each other in plot and character, are related in theme, setting, mood and other general criteria (Harlequin Intrigue is an example). Series novels are issued from 1 to 8 titles every month in similar covers and are usually numbered and dated. The Harlequin Romance series is the longest running in the U.S. and is still being issued 6 per month. Often series are sold both in stores and by subscription. As series novels are often fairly short it is not uncommon for individual authors to write 3, 4 or even 6 such books in a year. Authors tend to write primarily for a single series though it is not uncommon for authors to also write a few titles for series other than their primary one, frequently under a pseudonym. Individual titles are published on, to the reader, an unscheduled frequency. Prolific authors may have 3 or even 4 individual romance novels appear in a year; others may publish only 1 a year or less. Often successful series authors “graduate” to writing individual titles. Sandra Brown, Iris Johansen and Nora Roberts all began their careers as series novelists, for example. Individual titles are sold almost exclusively in stores. Just to add spice, frequently there are sub-series within a series, such as The Coltons within Silhouette Special Edition. In these sub-series the place and some of the characters are all retained for a set of titles of variable length. Occasionally a single author writes all the titles in a sub-series. More often the task is shared between several authors. So, what to collect? You have a lot of options. Choose something that appeals to you.
The most important part of collecting is to have fun. Don’t worry that the books you’ve decided to collect have values of only a dollar or even five; that makes it possible. If you want to collect expensive books the top in this category is probably first edition books by author Betty Neels published by Mills & Boon. They can be worth up to $200 each. But most romance novels, even at auction, will be under $20 and most can be had, even in stores, for $4 or $5. The thrill isn’t in the burgeoning value of the collection; it is much more in the discussion of the books with other collectors and the finding. Where to find the books? The Book Shelf LI on Willis Ave has the largest collection of serial romances in New York. Prices there range from $1.00 with most titles under $3.00. But these books are all over. Tag sales, thrift shops, fundraisers, etc. are good places to look, especially for bargains – that one title that’s $20 can often be found for a quarter at a garage sale. The internet, of course, is an endless source. Due to shipping, the cost is often higher than at a store but the resources are very powerful. Search our books UPDATED! Now powered by TomFolio.com! |
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Don't see what you want? We have thousands more titles on display at our store. Have questions; want more information? Call us between 10 and 5 Eastern time at 516-747-1888 or email us any time. Site updated 4/18/07 |
Collect a series. Some
are relatively small. Men of the USA is 50 titles, one for each state. Kismet
ran to 168 titles. Some are very large. Silhouette Special Edition is over 1800
titles and is still issuing 4 a month; Harlequin Presents is closing in on 3,000
titles and is issuing 6 a month.