Sweet Savage Flame’s book haul for January includes rare historical romance novels and insightful non-fiction books.
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Monthly Romance Round-Up
Welcome to our January book haul, where we showcase the latest additions to Sweet Savage Flame’s romance library. This book roundup is a new feature on our blog, and we’ll be posting it once every month.
Typically, we aim to release the roundup on the last Saturday of each month, although this particular one posted on a Sunday.
Our purchases change from month to month, so in one month, we may only purchase a couple of books, and in another month, we may win an e-bay lot of dozens of old paperbacks.
Believe it or not, we read more than just romance. But we’ll keep this list limited to romance-related books, including both fiction and non-fiction.
Our January 2024 Book Purchases: Why We Bought Them
This month, we only got eight romance-related books, four historical novels, and four non-fiction books useful in researching the history of the romance genre.
We were lucky enough to stumble upon some hidden gems that we couldn’t resist adding to our collection.
Now, we’ll share with you why these particular books caught our attention.
Novels
As always, our love of beautiful cover art is a driving force behind most of our book purchases.
Only One Love by Charles Garvice
Charles Garvice was a prominent romance novelist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This hardcover first edition of his 1905 novel Only One Love, or Who Was the Heir? is notable for its original condition and Art Nouveau design.
Charles Garvice wrote prolifically, with over 150 romance novels published, using the pseudonym Caroline Hart for some of his works. Despite poor critical reception, Garvice was highly successful commercially, selling millions of copies of his books.
The cover of my edition of Only One Love features hunter-green cloth boards with white titling and a picture of a woman. The dust jacket, although worn, is present, which is rare for early printings. This 120-year-old book has 304 pages with well-preserved binding, but some discoloration on the flyleaf.
Wild Texas Winds by Kit Prate
I came upon this stunner of a cover while scouring the internet. The original George A. Bush artwork is for sale on eBay for under $900.
I’m taking a break from purchasing original artwork. Luckily, however, I was able to find a very rare edition of this Pinnacle-published romance. Wild Texas Winds has been republished and is available on Kindle for Amazon.
Velvet Angel by Jude Deveraux
I already own the original Harry Bennett illustrated edition of Velvet Angel by Jude Deveraux.
However, I had to get the UK’s Arrow edition for the great cover art. The same artist created all the Arrow edition covers for Deveraux’s Velvet series.
These are incredibly hard to find, so I’m glad I finally have one.
Savage Heart, Cassie Edwards
This is another “case” of having to purchase a book for the cover art alone. Savage Heart by Cassie Edwards has been published and republished several times.
This 1985 Zebra edition features stunning artwork by Don Case.
Non-Fiction Books
Our haul was light, but these are all valuable collector’s books, hard to find, and pricy if you do. We won’t reveal how much we paid for them. Luckily, as a small business, we can claim them as work-related purchases and enjoy the sweet, sweet benefits of tax write-offs.
Forgive Me by Cathleen Webb
This book is only tangentially romance-related and deals with a very sensitive topic.
In 1977, Cathleen Crowell, a 16-year-old from Homewood, Illinois, claimed she was abducted and raped while walking home from work. She identified a suspect through a sketch and photo lineup, leading to the arrest of Gary Dotson.
In 1979, Dotson was convicted based on Crowell’s testimony and fraudulent forensic evidence. He received a 25–50-year prison sentence for kidnapping and rape.
In reality, Crowell lied, citing passages from Rosemary Roger’s Sweet Savage Love in her false account. After Dotson spent years in prison, Crowell recanted her story. However, the courts would not release him until years later.
I’m curious to see how the romance novel issues are relevant to the case, so I’ll let you know once I find out.
Old-fashioned Love and Romance by Carol Belanger Grafton
This pictorial archive is an essential aid for any artist or historian researching romantic images from the past.
Carol Belanger Grafton sifted through books, magazines, and romance ephemera from the 19th century to find drawn images of men and women in various stages of courtship, kissing, embracing, and holding hands. Some are more erotic: nudes. Others are sweeter: cupids and hearts.
Steve Holland: The World’s Greatest Illustration Art Model by Michael Stratford
If you were alive and aware at any time from the 1950s to the 1990s, you should be familiar with the face: Steve Holland. With his intense expressions and exaggerated poses, Holland was on all the covers—be they books, comics, or magazines.
He was a doctor, spy, firefighter, lover, and superhero.
Holland was Flash Gordon, Conan the Barbarian, Doc Savage, and the Avenger.
His face and body were on the covers of pulps, action-thrillers, science fiction, men’s magazines, comic books, and, yes, romance.
Holland passed away in 1997 at the age of 72.
Agonizing Love: The Golden Era of Romance Comics by Michale Barson
Celebrating a bygone era in a heartfelt tribute, Agonizing Love: The Golden Era of Romance Comics is for fans of modern love stories, comics, and romance history.
Renowned pop-culture expert Michael Barson delves into the captivating stories that captured the American imagination during the 1950s and 1960s. This was the heyday of melodramatic romance comics
Final Thoughts on January’s Book Purchases
After a lavish December filled with holiday celebrations, we were more mindful and discerning in our purchases this past month. Although our haul was more modest compared to December, we believe that our choices reflect careful and thoughtful selection.
Your Opinion
What are your thoughts on the books we got this month? We would love to hear your opinions.
As always, please drop a comment, and let’s talk romance.
Let Us Know Your Opinion!
