This list is by no means a complete and comprehensive list of all the books that have been important to the history of the romance genre. I have tried to include some of the most important and iconic texts that are good starting points if you're interested in studying romance history.
If you want to dive in and learn more, I recommend:
Fated Mates Podcast
The Black Romance Podcast
Whoa!mance: Romance and Ourselves Podcast
The Romance Novel in English catalog by Rebecca Romney (pdf is free)
https://romancehistory.com/ -and all of Steve Ammidown's social media
https://teachmetonight.blogspot.com/
Other Podcasts:
Learning The Tropes
Heaving Bosoms
Bonkers Romance
The Wicked Wallflowers Club
Etc:
https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@baskinsuns
https://twitter.com/ArtOfTheClinch