I thought it somehow fitting to find a beginning point for the industry I’m rather devoted to buying, consuming, devouring–well, you get the idea. đ One of them anyway. Originally published as A John Crowther Publication in London in 1946, The Manatee by Nancy Bruff was republished in paperback as Harlequin #1 in 1949.
So far the only description I’ve found is from an ad on eBay that says it’s taken from the back cover:
This robust, powerful novel is the story of Jabez Folger, savage, romantic man of the sea, with a sinister secret in his past. Against the colourful background of Nantucket in its great whaling days, Nancy Bruff has set this bold, sweeping drama of vibrant love and corrosive hatred.
On Jabez Folgerâs first whaling voyage he had a dark and evil experience that changed and embittered his whole life. In a rather softened mood, he courted and married Piety, a gentle Quaker girl-then deliberately, viciously, murdered her love. Born of this strange union, conceived in love and hate, their children turned to Flowery Shrine, their half-caste South Sea island servant, for the love and understanding they craved.
Folgerâs vindictive cruelty brought about his ruin, but in so doing freed him from the evil demon that possessed his soul.
The Manatee is a vivid, exciting and compelling tale, written in lusty, vigorous prose, yet with exceptional power and beauty, played out against a setting of sea, sky and fabulous island.
Anyone know whether this is in fact back cover copy and, also, whether this is a romance as we think of them or even a close approximation? I do know that not all of Harlequin’s earliest books were romances or even claimed to be. It took a couple of decades for them to settle into that label full time. And what they called romance then–well, definitely not what we’d call romances every time today. More on that in coming weeks.
As a bonus, here’s what I believe is the original hardback dust cover. It’s a curious image, too, because I did run across one reference to the captain being obsessed with his ship’s figurehead but I thought they were talking about another book the author wrote. I could be wrong. Does that look like obsession to you? o.O
Harelquin was just another paperback publisher, based in Winnipeg, when they started publishing in 1949. This title would be classified more as historical fiction than romance. Some early Harlequins were the First Canadian Paperback Editions of Agatha Christie, among others. In the late 1950s, the people at Harlequin began to reprint the “doctor and nurse” stories pubished in the UK my Mills and Boon in hardcover. These were all gentle romances, nothing explicit. They found that they outsold their other “regular” titles and by the early 1960s they were only doing Mills and Boon reprints.
I must’ve been trying to do too many things at once earlier because I completely missed what Keri said about wanting to get the paperback version. You know, when searching this out, I don’t believe I even saw it offered anywhere. I only ran across images of it online and then not even a reference to a collector/collection/library. There were plenty of used hardbacks and new paperbacks reprints for sale but I have to wonder how many of the original paperback even exist now. Anyone have any ideas?
Yeah, I saw some archived articles, in the New York Times I believe, promoing the book, Laura. It sure didn’t sound like a romance as we think of them. It sounded a lot more soap opera-ish.
Keri & Kat, that “Strange loves of a seaman” is the first thing that caught my eye, too, and what actually clinched it as this being the first wayback cover I decided to feature because I’ve already got several picked out. I just could not get past that tagline. Oh, and the fact that it was #1. đ
OK, having taken a quick look at the excerpts available of a newer edition of the book, I don’t think it’s what we’d call a “romance” because I have the impression that the main male protagonist dies before the end of the novel. I could be wrong, though, since I was only able to read little bits of it.
It’s the caption on the paperback that got me: “Strange loves of a seaman”. Indeed.
Now I want this book. I would pay a ridiculously illogical amount of money for either version of the book, though the tagline “Strange Loves of Seaman” has me leaning towards the PB.
I must go on an internet quest . . .
Yes, he does look a bit obsessed. But do you think the figurehead’s been drawn to look a bit like the photo of the author? I’m probably wrong, but I think she might look a bit like it, if one saw her in profile.
A while ago RfP found a short article about the book, from 1945. It doesn’t answer your question, as there’s no mention of whether or not there’s a HEA.