Barbara Cartland

Who was Barbara Cartland?

Dame Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland, DBE, CStJ, was an English author, one of the most prolific and commercially successful authors of the 20th century. Her 723 novels were translated into 36 different languages, and she continues to be referenced in the Guinness World Records for the most novels published in a single year. As Barbara Cartland she is known for her numerous fictional romantic novels, but she also wrote under her married name of Barbara McCorquodale. She wrote more than 700 books, which reportedly sold more than 750 million copies. Other sources estimate her book sales at more than 1 billion copies. She specialised in 18th-century Victorian-era pure romance. Her novels all featured portrait style artwork.

Cartland also became one of London's most prominent society figures and one of Britain's most popular media personalities.