Barbara Cartland (1901-2000) was one of the world's most prolific novelists, writing an amazing 723 books in her lifetime, of which no fewer than 644 were romantic novels. Worldwide sales of her books have approached or exceeded one billion copies. She wrote her first book at the age of twenty-one; it became an immediate bestseller. Between the ages of seventy-seven and ninety-seven, she increased her output and wrote an incredible four hundred romances, as the demand for them was so strong worldwide. She wrote her last book at the age of ninety-seven. Her books have always been immensely popular in the United States, where in 1976 a pair of them occupied numbers one and two in the B. Dalton bestsellers list-a feat never achieved before or since by any author. Cartland became a legend in her own lifetime and will be well remembered for years to come. Her books will always be treasured for their moral message, her pure and innocent heroines, her handsome and dashing heroes, her blissfully happy endings, and above all for her unwavering belief in the positive power of love.
