> as lemmas

c1330 (?c1300) Reinbrun (Auch.) in J. Zupitza Guy of Warwick (1891) 635 (MED) Meche ȝhe kouþe of menstralcie, Of harpe, of fiþele, of sautri, Of romaunce reding.

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 436 Romawnce makare, melopes.

1664 Duchess of Newcastle CCXI Sociable Lett. lxxvii. 161 Romance-Writers endeavour to make all their Romance-Readers believe that [etc.].

1713 J. Addison in Guardian 20 Aug. 1/1 Your Romance Writers are likewise a Set of Men whose Authority I shall build upon very little in this case.

1774 T. Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry I. iii. 112 Spain having learned the art or fashion of romance-writing, from their naturalised guests the Arabians.

1824 T. Campbell Theodric 53 Conscious of romance-inspiring charms.

1829 W. Scott Waverley Novels (new ed.) I. Gen. Pref. p. xiv A work which formed a sort of essay piece, and gave me hope that I might in time become free of the craft of Romance-writing.

1861 Ld. Brougham Brit. Constit. (ed. 2) xi. 153 The favourite theme of praise with all our romance-mongers.

1876 Westm. Rev. 49 361 The novelist proper studies to represent his little world as the great world is; whereas the romance-writer..builds an ideal world.

1890 L. C. D'Oyle Notches Rough Edge Life 97 We were none of us..naturally of a romance-making bent of mind.

1904 W. H. Hudson Green Mansions 2 Let us hope that now, at last, the romance-weaving will come to an end.

1904 ‘M. Twain’ in Harper's Weekly 10 Dec. 11/1 There was no romance-reading that night.

1979 Notes & Queries Feb. 90/2 Hanning tends to brush aside these technical difficulties of romance-writing.

1991 Fantasy Spring 47/1 I just object to having romance writers shown as..‘over-imaginative middle-aged hausfraus’.

2007 Standard (St. Catharines, Ont.) (Nexis) 26 Dec. c6 Romance-loving teens are likely to flock to P.S. I Love You.