Encyclopedia of Romance Fiction

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

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Description

As the first encyclopedia solely devoted to the popular romance fiction genre, this resource provides a wealth of information on all aspects of the subject. Romance fiction accounts for a large share of book sales each year, and contrary to popular belief, not all of its readers are women: roughly 16 percent are men. This enormously popular genre continues to captivate people reading for pleasure, and it also commands a growing amount of academic interest. Included are alphabetically arranged reference entries on significant authors along with works, themes, and other topics. The articles are written by scholars, librarians, and industry professionals with a deep knowledge of the genre and so provide a thorough understanding of the subject. An index provides easy access to information within the entries, and bibliographies at the end of each entry, a general bibliography, and a suggested romance reading list allow for further study of the genre.

Reviews

What makes this single volume stand out is the range of scholarly issues (feminism, cultural issues) addressed in accessible language with clearly cited sources. . . . This will be a welcome addition to any reference collection, but it is essential to those that serve students of literature and women's studies. * Booklist *
Librarians, literary and popular culture students and scholars, and genre devotees will appreciate this well-written, well-edited volume of diverse recommendations. * Library Journal *
This is a must have for public libraries and colleges and universities with creative writing programs. * ARBA *

Author Bio

Kristin Ramsdell is librarian emerita at California State University, East Bay. She is author of several books on romance fiction and is an award-winning authority on the genre.