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'The joy of a happily ever after': Lilly Library debuts rare romance collection

By Aubrey Wright

Posted August 22, 2024

The Lilly Library will display rare romance books, including those from author Jane Austin, in "Love in the Library." (Isabella Vesperini/WTIU)

Next to the Gutenberg Bible — the 15th century book that revolutionized printing and literacy — sits Ice Planet Barbarians — an erotic romance featuring a blue, horned alien. Indiana University’s Lilly Library is taking romance seriously.

Visitors can swoon over books dating back to the 18th Century with the new “Love in the Library” exhibition. Rebecca Baumann, curator of modern books, said the collection is intentionally diverse, showing there’s more to the billion-dollar genre than straight white women falling in love.

Baumann said they hope students and community members find books they love and change the way they view their own collections.

“And start to think, ‘Maybe my collection that I don't even think of as a collection is special,” Baumann said. “‘Maybe what I read is important. Maybe what I love belongs next to the Gutenberg Bible, and the Shakespeare First Folio, and all of these sort of touchstones of high culture.”

“Love in the Library” will remain at the Lilly Library until Feb. 15.

Romance is one of the most popular publishing genres. While sales in other genres declined, the romance grew. New bookstores are capitalizing on the boom, growing from two stores in 2020 to 20 in 2024.

But Baumann said it’s hard to find well-kept, systematic catalogs for romance in special collection libraries. The kinds of people who historically collected books — rich, white men — didn’t value or preserve romance.

Even the Lilly Library had detective fiction and science fiction collections, Baumann said. But romance was missing.

“Why is it missing? It's sexism,” Baumann said. “It's because women, primarily, almost exclusively, read and write romance.”

Gothic Romance — Curator Rebecca Baumann estimated the collection includes thousands of books. *(Isabella Vesperini/WTIU)*

Romance reader and book dealer Rebecca Romney created the foundation for “Love in the Library” with “The Romance Novel in English.” which cataloged first-edition romance books from 1769 to 1999.

“The genre of popular romance is the only billion-dollar industry in the modern publishing marketplace: it accounts for one-quarter of all fiction sales, and earns more than double its nearest competitor, crime/mystery,” Romney wrote.

“It is, in sum, the single biggest market force in U.S. publishing today. Yet it is poorly represented in institutional special collections across the country, as well as in rare book dealer catalogues.”

The Lilly Library bought Romney’s collection in 2021.

Romney’s collection includes the first-ever lesbian pulp novel with a happy ending, a 1900s love story from a Black activist and other unique stories.

Classics, such as Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice and Rebecca are on display. 20th-Centruy Harlequin romances are honored. The Lilly Library added modern novels to the collection, including popular novels Fifty Shades of Grey and Heartstopper.

“There are diverse romances,” Baumann said. “Everyone deserves to have the joy of a happily ever after, even despite circumstances, when you know the world is very difficult for marginalized people.”

Designer Jenny Mack and graphic designer David Orr created custom displays, complete with velvet-lined cases, jewel-toned colors and intentional typography.

Romance and academics may be a perfect match. Baumann is excited for researchers to discover the collection and interesting, forgotten authors.

“There's hundreds of dissertations just waiting out there,” Baumann said. “You really can't say that about much material anymore, right?

Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright.

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'The joy of a happily ever after': Lilly Library debuts rare romance collection

By Aubrey Wright

Posted August 22, 2024

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Indiana Public Media | WFIU - NPR | WTIU - PBS

Indiana Public Media News

'The joy of a happily ever after': Lilly Library debuts rare romance collection

By Aubrey Wright

Posted August 22, 2024

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Recent Education Stories