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The Look of Love

The Art of the Romance Novel By Jennifer McKnight-Trontz

6-1/4 x 9-3/8 in; 144 pp ;
Paperback
Published in December, 2001
ISBN 1568983123
ISBN13 9781568983127
Sorry, this book is out of print. Please contact alibris.com for limited availability.

$16.95  

The Look of Love -- Swashbuckling sailors, dashing dukes, naughty nurses, and sexy steward-esses caught in webs of love, passion, betrayal, and intrigue: these are the raw materials of the romance novel--and the lusty covers that advertise them. In The Look of Love, Jennifer McKnight-Trontz provides a rollicking history of the covers and stories that have captivated millions of readers worldwide. More than 150 of the most sensational covers from this venerable if venal literary form are shown in glorious color, focusing on the period from 1940 to 1970, romance design's most fertile era. The Look of Love features artwork and excerpts from titles such as Passion Flower, Kept Woman, Rendezvous in Lisbon, and Jungle Nurse. Along the way, it brings attention to the pioneers of the romance novel: cover artists such as Barye Phillips and Robert Maguire, who helped define the look of paperbacks in general, and Harlequin, the grand dame of romance publishers, with more than 100 million novels sold each year. McKnight-Trontz reveals the themes that typify both the story lines and the covers--hospital romance, the rich and raunchy, royalty, tropical paradises, Westerns, "taboo" relationships, pirates and warriors, and love triangles--resulting in this definitive compendium of camp. A book for romance lovers everywhere.

Jennifer McKnight-Trontz is a writer and designer living in south Florida whose books include Hang in There! (0‑8118‑3997‑4), How to Be Popular (0‑8118‑3570‑7), Yes You Can (0‑8118‑2713‑5), and The Good Citizen's Handbook (0-8118‑3066‑7).