Barbara Cartland (1901–2000) was one of the world’s most prolific novelists, writing an amazing 723 books in her lifetime, of which no fewer than 644 were romantic novels. Worldwide sales of her books have approached or exceeded one billion copies. Her first book—an immediate bestseller—was written at the age of twenty-one. The demand for her books was so strong that over her last two decades Cartland increased her output and wrote an incredible 400 romances, penning her final one at the age of ninety-seven. Her books have always been immensely popular in the United States, where in 1976 a pair of them occupied the top two spots in the B. Dalton bestsellers list—a feat never achieved before or since by any author. Cartland became a legend in her own time, and her books will always be treasured for their moral message, her pure and innocent heroines, her handsome and dashing heroes, her blissfully happy endings, and above all for her unwavering belief in the positive power of love. |
