London - She was one of the most prolific and popular authors of the 20th century, packing her fiction with dashing heroes and beautiful heroines.
Now, 13 years after her death, Dame Barbara Cartland's legions of readers are to be rewarded once more with one of her trademark happy endings - the publication of a raft of unseen manuscripts.
The books will be relased in three sets: the Eternal Collection, the Pink Collection and a Spanish language collection to cater to her readers abroad, under a deal between M-Y Books and Ingram Content Group.
According to David Taylor, senior vice-president of content acquisition international at Ingram, Cartland, who died in 2000, left behind around 160 unpublished manuscripts, which will form the collections.
Over the course of her career, Cartland published 723 books, including 23 novels in 1983 alone, before her death at the age of 98.
“We are pleased to work with M-Y Books to introduce Barbara Cartland to a new generation of readers,” Mr Taylor said. He added: “Whether print of digital, her titles can now be enjoyed by more readers around the world.”
M-Y Books has worked with Cartland's son, Ian McCorquodale, to release the material.
“Barbara Cartland is a unique author known worldwide for her pure romance writing and novels that are perfect for family reading,” said Jonathan Miller, Managing Director at M-Y Books. “Once again all of the titles of one of the most popular authors of all time will be available worldwide,” he said.
The Eternal Collection includes classic titles from Cartland's beloved romance novels. Nearly 100 Eternal Collection titles are available in print, and e-book versions will follow.
The Pink Collection was developed to bring Cartland's 160 unpublished manuscripts to life.
More than 103 titles from the Pink Collection are currently available in print and e-book formats. Print editions are priced at £7 (about R90) in paperback, with e-books at a range of prices. - The Independent