Founded in Canada by Richard Bonnycastle in 1949, Harlequin Books was originally a publisher of British and American reprints. The company began to distribute Mills and Boon books in 1958, and by 1964 published only romantic fiction. In 1972 Harlequin and Mills and Boon merged as Harlequin Enterprises Limited; in 1975 the communications company Torstar acquired a controlling interest. From that time the company underwent a dramatic expansion, and Harlequin branches opened all over the world. In 2006, the company claimed to have issued more than 3 billion books since 1949. Harlequin Books are written and published under a variety of imprints, including Silhouette and Mira.
