Monday, May 31, 2010

LOL: Man and Maid


Man and Maid by Elinor Glyn is one of Barbara Cartland's favorite novels and is condensed in this November 1977 edition. Sir Nicholas was injured during WW1 and in his gloomy state decides to write a book. He hired Alathea Sharp as his typist, but she soon becomes much more to him!

Francis Marshall illustrates a passionate scene between our couple! I love the picture of the room with the typewriter on top of the desk and the trash can below. Note the crutch in the chair, too. Our heroine wears a pretty lilac suit which sets off her red hair. Another great cover by Francis Marshall!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

LOL: The Bars of Iron


October 1977 saw the publication of The Bars of Iron by Ethel M. Dell, condensed for Barbara Cartland! It is the story of a young widow, Avery, who unknowingly marries her first husband's murderer, Piers!

Francis Marshall shows our couple at a hunt. Our hero is dressed for hunting in his red jacket, while the heroine wears a white coat and blue scarf, that sets off her pretty reddish hair. The other hunters ride in the background and we see a wooden fence behind our couple. Another great cover by FM!

Update: the photo added is listed on barbaracartland.com as #149 Pink Collection They Ran Away. What's interesting is the photo looks like another sketch of The Bars of Iron!

Friday, May 28, 2010

LOL: The Vicissitudes of Evangeline


The Vicissitudes of Evangeline was published in September 1977 and was written by Elinor Glyn and condensed by Barbara Cartland. Evangeline Travers bursts into society at age 20 and with no family or title determined to become an adventuress. She falls in love with Lord Robert, a brother to a duke, and the fun begins!

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple on a park bench. They are smartly dressed and are in love. The heroine is pretty in black with an adorable hat and muff. Our hero is dapper as an Edwardian hero should be! I wish the title wasn't over the couple so we could see more of their elegant dress. Oh well!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

LOL: The Way of an Eagle


August 1977 saw the publication of Ethel M. Dell's condensed book, The Way of an Eagle. Barbara Cartland condenses her favorite romances from the 1910's and 1920's! This story is set in India and is about the romance of Nick and Muriel and their adventures in the mountains.

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple against the backdrop of the beautiful mountains. We see a skirmish taking place below them and our hero's intent on saving the heroine. Again, it's another great FM cover!!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

LOL: The Reason Why


The Reason Why was published in July 1977 and is condensed from the book by Elinor Glyn. It is the romance of the handsome Englishman, Lord Tancred, and the beautiful widow, Zara.

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple in elegant Edwardian dress. Our heroine wears a wonderful blue gown with a long strand of pearls. Our hero is dashing in black evening dress. They sit on a sofa and act antagonisticly towards each other! Another great FM cover!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

LOL: The Hundredth Chance


Barbara Cartland's Library of Love #5 brings us The Hundredth Chance by Ethel M. Dell, condensed by Bantam in June 1977. Maud's mother marries a man who is trying to seduce her, so she marries Jack, even though she doesn't love him. However, Jack is a horse jockey and Maud was once engaged to his boss, Lord Saltash, who will do anything to possess Maud!

Francis Marshall illustrates this cover with our hero and heroine, along with a racehorse and a building on fire. Our heroine clings to the hero as if he is her only lifeline! Our heroine is young and pretty while our hero is worldly and handsome. This is a great cover and I hope you like it!

Monday, May 24, 2010

LOL: A Safety Match


A Safety Match by Ian Hay was condensed by Barbara Cartland in May 1977. This is the story of Daphne, the oldest of a large family of children, who is the glue in the home of her widowed father. She gets a proposal of marriage from a friend of the family and accepts it for the good of her family.

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple sitting outside. They are dressed in the style of the 1920's and we see a motorcar in the background. Our heroine wears a flapper's haircut and our hero sports some funky shoes! This looks like a sweet cover, for a sweet story.

Friday, May 21, 2010

LOL: The Knave of Diamonds


The Knave of Diamonds was published in April 1977 as #3 in the Library of Love condensed book collection from Barbara Cartland. Ethel M. Dell wrote the book in 1912 about Lady Carfax and the mysterious Napoleon Errol, who falls in love with her.

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple at a masquerade ball where the hero is dressed as the character in the title while our heroine is pretty in a blue gown. It's a typically classic FM cover and very romantic.

Ethel M. Dell was obviously a favorite author of Barbara Cartland's since she condensed a few of her books in this series. Look out for others coming soon!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

LOL: His Hour


His Hour is #2 in Barbara Cartland's Library of Love and was published in March 1977. This is the condensed story by Elinor Glyn about Tamara, an English widow, and a Russian Prince, who she meets in Egypt and later in Russia. This novel was a sensation when published in the 1910's!

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple at a ball, where the heroine holds a pistol! The hero is handsome and sardonic in a red uniform and our heroine looks like a princess with her tiara and furs. It's too bad that the title was placed over the illustration, but we see some of Marshall's great artwork! This is a very pretty illustration that I hope you enjoy!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

LOL: The Sheik


Beginning today, we will feature Barbara Cartland's Library of Love. These are books that are favorites of Cartland's and that she condensed for her audience. Francis Marshall illustrated 27 of them and we will feature them in the next blog entries.

The Sheik by E. M. Hull is about a beautiful Englishwoman and the handsome Sheik who wins her love. This story was first published in 1921 and the condensed version came out in March 1977.

Francis Marshall illustrates beautifully our desert couple! We see them in a tent, lying on pillows in a tent. Our hero is in Arabian garb and the heroine is in a green gauze garment. It's a romantic scene and I hope that you enjoy this cover!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Wings on My Heart


Wings on My Heart is last in the older series of Barbara Cartland romances. This copy is an Arrow (UK) publication from 1977. Lord Hugo Roxburton has his life mapped out when he has a skiing accident and meets Utta, a mysterious Swiss girl who nurses him back to health!

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple on an ice rink! Our heroine is pretty in a blue skating costume while our hero wears normal clothing. We see an audience in the background and another skater in yellow and flags flying, which makes us wonder if this is a competition.

Friday, May 14, 2010

The Wings of Love




The Wings of Love is another book where I was able to find 3 different Francis Marshall illustrations! This is Barbara Cartland's story about Amanda Burke, a vicar's daughter, who is proposed to by the evil Lord Ravenscar while she finds herself in love with a dashing stranger, Peter Harvey. Will she have to marry the evil Lord to save her beloved?

Francis Marshall creates two similar covers with the US ones. The Jove (US) cover has a number 24 and shows our hero carrying the heroine. She wears a green filmy dress while he is in a typical regency gentleman's dress of jacket and cravat. This edition was printed in February 1979.

The Pyramid (US) has a yellow cover with a picture of our couple. The heroine wears the green filmy dress, but without the pink scarf. They are in an embrace and our hero is wearing a dark green coat. The room look similar to the other cover, which informs us that Marshall updated this cover for the Jove one. This edition was published in 1971.

The Arrow (UK) book from 1975 has a different cover. The man looks as if he could be the evil Lord! Our heroine carries a pretty bunch of lilies. We see in the background a building and a statue.

The last image is reversed which is interesting since it's a German title.

Which cover is your favorite? It's unique to find 2 different US covers. Usually I find differences in the UK ones! Enjoy and don't forget to click on the picture to enlarge!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Where is Love?



Where is Love? is a story about Cynthia Standish, who is out to get revenge on Michael Fielding after he accuses her of betraying a friend. She is determined to make him fall in love with her! This story was set during world war 2 and is another of Barbara Cartland's contemporary romances.

Francis Marshall creates two different covers for this book. The Pyramid (US) one shows our couple outside. It's another up close picture and we see our heroine, pretty in white, while our hero is dashing in black tie. The moonlit evening casts a green glow around them.

The Arrow (UK) cover shows our heroine leaning out of a window talking to the hero. It's a pretty, romantic cover and we get the idea that they care for each other. I like the purple flowers growing all around the window ledge.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The Unpredictable Bride



The Unpredictable Bride is about Lucinda, who is given to Lord Meridan in marriage after he marries her in order to forgive her father's debts. He had wanted Hester, the older, quieter daughter, but ended up with Lucinda, who ends up being the perfect match! This book has a flavor of Georgette Heyer's The Convenient Marriage!

Francis Marshall creates two different covers for this story. The Pyramid (US) is an up close shot of our couple dressed for a ball. Our heroine is pretty in pink and holds an intricate fan. She looks flirtatious and full of fun. Our hero has a proud look on his face. This copy was published in 1975.

The Arrow (UK) book from 1967 shows our heroine driving a phaeton and being admired by others in the park. She wears a pink driving dress and matching hat. This is more of an action cover and shows our heroine's spunk, since few women drove themselves during regency times.

Third photo is from an old hardback version. It has a similarity to the UK Arrow version.

Monday, May 10, 2010

The Unknown Heart



The Unknown Heart is the story of Virginia Clay, an wealthy American, who is forced into an arranged marriage with the Marquess of Camberford. After she collapses on her wedding day, she awakes to find that she's lost a ton of weight and is determined to find her husband and see if they can live together in harmony.

Francis Marshall illustrates both covers. The Pyramid (US) copy shows our coupe facing each other across a desk. Our trim heroine clutches a stack of books while the hero leans towards her, to steal a kiss?

The Arrow (UK) cover is sedate with our heroine sitting on bench in the garden and the hero behind her. They are dressed for dinner and we see a very pretty girl who is very thin. I like the setting of roses and the touch of roses on the heroine's dress.

The late 1890's and early 1900's saw many English aristocrats marrying rich Americans for their money. It was considered a fair exchange for a title and position. Probably the most famous was the marriage of Consuelo Vanderbilt to the Duke of Marlborough in 1895.

The last photo is from a hardcover dustjacket and reminiscent of the UK Arrow version.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Towards the Stars



Towards the Stars is the story of Stella Marsden, who is injured in a factory during the war and is miraculously healed by surgeon Clive Ross. However, rumors afterwards separates the couple and how they end up finding love together is the plot of this romance by Barbara Cartland!

Francis Marshall illustrates both covers and on the Pyramid (US) one from August 1977 we see our couple with the heroine reading a letter and resting in bed. She wears a pretty bedjacket of blue and the hero hovers over her.

The Arrow (UK) cover is similar, but we see more of the room and a nurse in the background. Our heroine looks older in this cover and wears a pink or coral bedjacket. She holds flowers instead of a letter.

Both covers are very pretty and unique in their being close up illustrations of the couple. Which is your favorite?

Friday, May 7, 2010

This Time it's Love


This Time It's Love was published by Pyramid (US) in June 1979. Fenella lives in wartime Britain and she is faced with the prospect of marrying for security or marrying for love!

Francis Marshall creates a warm cover in tones of brown and orange for this book. We see our couple standing in front of a canvas. This is a typical FM illustration with our manga eyed heroine and very handsome hero. Their clothing is more 1970's than 1940's, but it's a great illustration and makes you want to pick up this book and read it!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Theft of a Heart



Theft of a Heart by Barbara Cartland is an interesting story about Amanda and her brother who are out to avenge the suicide death of their father due to his unscrupulous business partners. They have blackmailed everyone but one man and this dangerous event shows Amanda who she really loves!

Francis Marshall illustrated the Pyramid (US) cover in August 1978. It shows our couple near a swimming pool. Our hero clutches the heroine, who is trying to move away.

Note the difference in the Arrow (UK) cover from 1972. Our hero is wearing a suit jacket and our heroine is dressed in a blouse and skirt. We see a wheelchair in the background and wonder if our hero uses it. She seems to be imploring the hero to help her, maybe with something outside since the french door is open. Which cover do you like better?

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Sweet Punishment

Sweet Punishment by Barbara Cartland was published in 1979 (US) and 1971 (UK) in paperback. It's a case of hate at first sight when Lady Diana Stanlier meets Ian Carstairs. He returns from Africa with a message from a dying man who loved Diana. So she decides to teach him a lesson in love! The Jove(US) cover shows our hero in Scottish kilt and our heroine struggling with him. She is very pretty, but obviously angry. I like this cover better than the other. The Arrow (UK) cover shows our couple in the midst of an argument with the heroine about to hit the hero with a riding crop! I think her riding outfit is very odd and looks unattractive, which is unusual for a cover by Francis Marshall! The hero is dashing in his suit, though! Which cover is your favorite?