Rediscovering Masterpieces of Romaunce
Our aim, if that’s not too bold, is to take you on a journey of discovery - reintroducing you to neglected and lost romance classics and introducing you to a world of exciting new authors
At Romaunce Books we take romance seriously and want to share with you our vision to illuminate, entertain and enrich the lives of our readers.
Why are we called Romaunce Books and what does Romaunce mean?
A Little History and a lot of Romaunce….
Romaunce is the Middle English word for romance, a language, which represented the resurgence of a written English following several centuries of dominance by Latin and French. By the 13th century Middle English was firmly established and coincided with the introduction from the continent of the Romaunce, a narrative verse form which completely transformed the existing fact-based English prose tradition.
The description of a Romaunce according to the Middle English Dictionary is:
A written narrative of the adventures of a knight, nobleman, king, or an important ecclesiastic, a chivalric romance; a tale of fictional or nugatory content as opposed to a factual account;
(a) romance with a royal protagonist;
(b) the source, real or alleged, of an English chivalric romance or verse narrative;
(c) a chivalric romance in English verse, the work actually being read or recited;
(d) an episode in a larger narrative work;
(e) a romance of unspecified content, but usually one designed principally for entertainment;.
The fourteenth century saw the emergence of the most enduring author of the early medieval period, Geoffrey Chaucer and his renowned work, The Canterbury Tales, whilst not totally a romaunce in spirit does definitely draw upon the established format.
There’s no doubt that the medieval period proved to be a rich seam of historic stories full of knights, kings and noblemen. It was the time of the Crusades, the War of the Roses, and characters as vivid and dramatic as Robin Hood, the Yorks and the Tudors. A period redolent of mystery, intrigue and fascination and all the ingredients for Romaunce!
A tradition echoed in our most celebrated and award winning books– The White Queen of Middleham and Sons of York by Lesley J Nickell and Walter and the Resurrection of G by TJ Armstrong
If you want to know how to pronounce our name it's easy - Romaunce rhymes with 'dance'
No wonder we call ourselves Romaunce Books, we know our history……
However… what we really like is quality and we pride ourselves in selecting the best romantic fiction from all genres which is why you will find The Theory of Mind by Sanjida O’Connell, a Betty Trask Award winner and Kiss and Kin by Angela Lambert winner of the Romantic Novelist of the Year Award.
We’re interested to hear what our readers think and to stimulate discussion - so if you’d like to review one of our books, get in touch. We’re also to encourage new talent so do look at our submissions page if you have a book you want to publish.
