Manchester

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100 years of Mills and Boon

Get some romance in your life with a new exhibition at Manchester Central Library

For millions around the world the name Mills and Boon represents a true guilty pleasure. While the critical backlash against the romantic fiction publishers remains as fierce as ever it does little to dampen an overwhelming British publishing success.

This exhibition at the Central Library promises to get between the covers and establish the secrets of the Mills and Boon formula. Today the series has sales of over 200 million books worldwide with 13 million titles selling in the UK alone, however the beginnings of the empire were rather more modest. Started in 1908 with just £1,000 investment, Gerald Mills and Charles Boon were not specifically romantic publishers, although their first book 'Arrows from the Dark’ by Sophie Cole set the tone for their future success.

In their early days, Mills and Boon also published general fiction, including works by the likes of PG Wodehouse. Throughout their history they’ve never been scared to innovate – in 1911 they offered a free chapter of their next book, causing a massive boost in the title’s sales. Furthermore, the publishers were passionate about finding new talent and many of the romance genre’s biggest names began their careers writing for the firm.

These days the success of the firm is guaranteed; in 1997 the phrase 'Mills and Boon' appeared in the dictionary. The the firm publishes 50 titles per month in ten different series, representing a range of romantic fantasy settings from historical to medical romances and they sell a book every three seconds. If you want to know more head to the Central Library and get some romance in your life.
100 Years of Mills and Boon Manchester Central Library, Saint Peter’s Square, M2 (234 1906/www.manchester.gov.uk). Until July 31.

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