Penguin Books Ltd Popular Books

Penguin Books Ltd Biography & Facts

Penguin Books Limited is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other stores for sixpence, bringing high-quality fiction and non-fiction to the mass market. Its success showed that large audiences existed for serious books. It also affected modern British popular culture significantly through its books concerning politics, the arts, and science.Penguin Books is now an imprint of the worldwide Penguin Random House, a conglomerate formed in 2013 by its merger with American publisher Random House, a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Formerly, Penguin Group was wholly owned by British Pearson plc, the global media company which also owned the Financial Times. When Penguin Random House was formed, Pearson had a 47% stake in the new company, which was reduced to 25% in July 2017. Since April 2020, Penguin Random House has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Bertelsmann. It is one of the largest English-language publishers known as the Big Five, along with Holtzbrinck/Macmillan, Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster.Penguin Books has its registered office in the City of Westminster, London, England. Origins The first Penguin paperbacks were published in 1935, but at first only as an imprint of The Bodley Head (of Vigo Street, London) with the books originally distributed from the crypt of Holy Trinity Church Marylebone. Anecdotally, Lane recounted how it was his experience with the poor quality of reading material on offer at Exeter railway station that inspired him to create cheap, well designed quality books for the mass market. The question of how publishers could reach a larger public had been the subject of a conference at Rippon Hall, Oxford, in 1934 which Lane had attended. Though the publication of literature in paperback was then associated mainly with poor quality lurid fiction, the Penguin brand owed something to the short-lived Albatross imprint of British and American reprints that briefly traded in 1932.Inexpensive paperbacks did not initially appear viable to Bodley Head, since the deliberately low price of 6d. made profitability seem unlikely. This helped Lane purchase publication rights for some works more cheaply than he otherwise might have, since publishers were convinced of the business's short-term prospects. In the face of resistance from the traditional book trade, it was the purchase of 63,000 books by Woolworths Group that paid for the project outright, confirmed its worth, and allowed Lane to establish Penguin as a separate business in 1936. By March 1936, ten months after the company's launch on 30 July 1935, one million Penguin books had been printed. Only paperback editions were published until the King Penguin series debuted in 1939, and latterly the Pelican History of Art was undertaken; these works, considered unsuitable as paperbacks because of their lengths and copious illustrations on art paper, were cloth-bound. Penguin Books Inc was incorporated in 1939 to satisfy US copyright law; and, despite being a late entrant into an already well established paperback market, enjoyed further success under vice president Kurt Enoch with such titles as What Plane Is That and The New Soldier Handbook. The company's expansion saw the hiring of Eunice Frost—first as a secretary, then as an editor, and ultimately as a director, who was to have a pivotal influence in shaping the company. In 1945 she was entrusted with the reconstruction of Penguin Inc after the departure of its first managing director, Ian Ballantine.From the outset, design was essential to Penguin's success. Avoiding the illustrated gaudiness of other paperback publishers, Penguin opted for the simple appearance of three horizontal bands, the upper and lower of which were colour-coded according to the series to which the title belonged; this is sometimes referred to as the horizontal grid. In the central white panel, the author and title were printed in Gill Sans, and in the upper band was a cartouche with the legend "Penguin Books". The initial design was created by then 21-year-old office junior Edward Young, who also drew the first version of the Penguin logo. Series such as Penguin Specials and The Penguin Shakespeare had individual designs (by 1937, only S1 and B1-B18 had been published). The colour schemes included: orange and white for general fiction, green and white for crime fiction, cerise and white for travel and adventure, dark blue and white for biographies, yellow and white for miscellaneous, red and white for drama; and the rarer purple and white for essays and belles lettres and grey and white for world affairs. Lane actively resisted the introduction of cover images for several years. Some recent publications of literature from that time have duplicated the original look. In 1937, Penguin's headquarters were established at Harmondsworth, close to Heathrow Airport. War years The Second World War saw Penguin emerge as a national institution. Though it had no formal role in the war effort, it was integral to it thanks to the publication of such bestselling manuals as Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps and Aircraft Recognition, and supplying books for the services and British POWs. In the war's six years, it printed some 600 titles and started 19 new series. At a time of enormous increase in the demand for books, Penguin enjoyed a privileged place among its peers. Paper rationing was the besetting problem of publishers in wartime, with the fall of France cutting off supply of esparto grass, one of the constituents of the pulp Penguin used. When rationing was introduced in March 1940, the Ministry of Supply allocated a quota to each publisher as a percentage of the amount that firm used between August 1938 and August 1939. This was particularly advantageous to Penguin, who, as a volume printer, was very successful that year. Further, in a deal with the Canadian Government, Penguin agreed to exclusively publish editions for their armed forces, for which they were paid in tons of paper.By January 1942 the Book Production War Economy Agreement regulations came into force which determined rules on paper quality, type size and margins. Consequently Penguin eliminated dust jackets, trimmed margins and replaced sewn bindings with metal staples. Aside from the noticeable deterioration in paperbacks' appearance, it became a practical impossibility to publish books of more than 256 pages, resulting in some titles falling out of print for want of material. In addition to their paper allocation, in 1941 Penguin secured a deal with the War Office, through Bill William's connections with ABCA and CEMA, to supply the troops with books through what was known as the Forces Book Club. Pen.... Discover the Penguin Books Ltd popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Penguin Books Ltd books.

Best Seller Penguin Books Ltd Books of 2024

  • Win or Learn synopsis, comments

    Win or Learn

    John Kavanagh

    Conor McGregor's trainer tells the amazing story of his long road to success in the world's fastestgrowing sportGrowing up in Dublin, John Kavanagh was a skinny lad who was frequen...

  • The Climb synopsis, comments

    The Climb

    Chris Froome

    On 26th July 2015, Chris Froome entered the record books. He won cycling's ultimate race the Tour de France for the second time.Taking a double Yellow Jersey was a staggering ach...

  • The Sagas of the Icelanders synopsis, comments

    The Sagas of the Icelanders

    Jane Smiley

    In Iceland, the age of the Vikings is also known as the Saga Age. A unique body of medieval literature, the Sagas rank with the world’s great literary treasures – as epic as Homer,...

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh synopsis, comments

    The Epic of Gilgamesh

    N. K. Sandars

    Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, and his companion Enkidu are the only heroes to have survived from the ancient literature of Babylon, immortalized in this epic poem that dates back to the...

  • Middlemarch synopsis, comments

    Middlemarch

    George Eliot & Rosemary Ashton

    One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World''One of the few English novels written for grownup people' Virginia WoolfGeorge Eliot's nuanced and moving novel is a masterly ev...

  • Oroonoko synopsis, comments

    Oroonoko

    Aphra Behn & Janet Todd

    Aphra Behn, the poet, playwright, novelist and political satirist was the first truly professional woman writer in English. This selection, edited and introduced by Professor Janet...

  • The Book of Disquiet synopsis, comments

    The Book of Disquiet

    Fernando Pessoa & Richard Zenith

    With its astounding hardcover reviews Richard Zenith's new complete translation of THE BOOK OF DISQUIET has now taken on a similar iconic status to ULYSSES, THE TRIAL or IN SEARCH ...

  • Confessions synopsis, comments

    Confessions

    Saint Augustine & R. S. Pine-Coffin

    'Give me chastity and continence, but not yet'The son of a pagan father and a Christian mother, Saint Augustine spent his early years torn between conflicting worldviews. The Confe...

  • Thin synopsis, comments

    Thin

    Grace Bowman

    Bright, popular, pretty and successful, Grace Bowman had the world at her feet. So what drove her to starve herself nearly to death at the age of 18? And what, more importantly, ma...

  • Quiet Leadership synopsis, comments

    Quiet Leadership

    Carlo Ancelotti

    Carlo Ancelotti is one of the greatest managers of all time, with five Champions League titles to his name. Yet his approach could not be further from the aggressive theatricals fa...

  • Day of the Accident synopsis, comments

    Day of the Accident

    Nuala Ellwood

    WHAT DID YOU SEE? WHAT DID YOU DO? 'Gripping, poignant...I read it in one sitting' ROSAMUND LUPTON'Brilliantly compulsive and with one hell of a twist!' CLAIRE DOUGLASSixty seconds...

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh synopsis, comments

    The Epic of Gilgamesh

    Anonymous & Andrew George

    The ancient Sumerian poem The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest written stories in existence, translated with an introduction by Andrew George in Penguin Classics.Miraculously...

  • The Penguin History of the World synopsis, comments

    The Penguin History of the World

    J M Roberts & Odd Arne Westad

    This is a completely new and updated edition of J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad's widely acclaimed, landmark bestseller The Penguin History of the World.For generations of reader...

  • Jane Eyre synopsis, comments

    Jane Eyre

    Charlotte Brontë & Stevie Davies

    'The masterwork of a great genius' William Makepeace ThackerayA novel of intense emotional power, heightened atmosphere and fierce intelligence, Jane Eyre dazzled and shocked reade...

  • Bonkers synopsis, comments

    Bonkers

    Jennifer Saunders

    THE HILARIOUS, TOUCHING LIFE STORY OF THE ICONIC COMEDIAN AND NATIONAL TREASURE 'Fabulous? Yes. Funny? Absolutely' Mail on SundayJennifer Saunders' comic creations have brought joy...

  • Meditations synopsis, comments

    Meditations

    Marcus Aurelius & Martin Hammond

    'Their icy blasts are refreshing and restorative. They tell you the worst. And having heard the worst, you feel less bad' Blake MorrisonWritten in Greek by the only Roman emperor w...

  • The Histories synopsis, comments

    The Histories

    Herodotus & Aubrey De Selincourt

    'The first example of nonfiction, the text that underlies the entire discipline of history ... it is above all a treasure trove' Tom HollandOne of the masterpieces of classical lit...

  • The Decameron synopsis, comments

    The Decameron

    Giovanni Boccaccio & G. H. McWilliam

    In the summer of 1348, as the Black Death ravages their city, ten young Florentines take refuge in the countryside...Taken from the Greek, meaning 'tenday event', Boccaccio's Decam...

  • Our World synopsis, comments

    Our World

    Little Mix

    Celebrate Little Mix's first UK numberone album Glory Days by reading the full story of the girls' astonishing rise to pop super stardom. Our World is full of exclusive photos an...

  • The Pillow Book synopsis, comments

    The Pillow Book

    Sei Shonagon & Meredith McKinney

    A new translation of the idiosyncratic diary of a C10 court lady in Heian Japan. Along with the TALE OF GENJI, this is one of the major Japanese Classics.

  • The Skincare Bible synopsis, comments

    The Skincare Bible

    Dr Anjali Mahto

    For anyone who loves straighttalking, practical advice on skincare, this book is the perfect, beautiful gift.We all know that taking good care of our skin is the key to any effecti...

  • Capital synopsis, comments

    Capital

    Karl Marx & Ben Fowkes

    'A groundbreaking work of economic analysis. It is also a literary masterpice' Francis Wheen, GuardianOne of the most notorious and influential works of modern times, Capital is an...

  • Discourses and Selected Writings synopsis, comments

    Discourses and Selected Writings

    Epictetus & Robert Dobbin

    Contains The Discourses/Fragments/Enchiridion'I must die. But must I die bawling?'Epictetus, a Greek Stoic and freed slave, ran a thriving philosophy school in Nicopolis in the ear...

  • Metamorphoses synopsis, comments

    Metamorphoses

    Ovid & David Raeburn

    'Still remarkably vivid. It is easier to read this for pure pleasure than just about any other ancient text' Nicholas Lezard, GuardianOvid's sensuous and witty poem begins with the...

  • The Letters of Abelard and Heloise synopsis, comments

    The Letters of Abelard and Heloise

    Peter Abelard & Betty Radice

    The story of Abelard and Heloise remains one of the world's most celebrated and tragic love affairs. Through their letters, we follow the path of their romance from its reckless a...

  • My Story synopsis, comments

    My Story

    Steven Gerrard

    Get ready for the Euros by journeying through the iconic and searingly honest story of one of the country's best ever footballers'A truly world class career . . . This is a must re...

  • Concorde synopsis, comments

    Concorde

    Mike Bannister

    The definitive account of the rise and fall of the iconic Concorde plane from British Airways' former Chief Concorde Pilot'A remarkable story' DAILY EXPRESS'A stonking good read' F...

  • War And Peace synopsis, comments

    War And Peace

    Leo Tolstoy & Anthony Briggs

    'A book that you don't just read, you live' Simon Schama Tolstoy's magnificent epic novel of love, conflict, fate and human life in all its imperfection and grandeurWar and Peace b...

  • Letters from a Stoic synopsis, comments

    Letters from a Stoic

    Seneca & Robin Campbell

    'It is philosophy that has the duty of protecting us ... without it no one can lead a life free of fear or worry'For several years of his turbulent life, in which he was dogged by ...

  • Letters to a Young Poet synopsis, comments

    Letters to a Young Poet

    Rainer Maria Rilke & Charlie Louth

    'What matters is to live everything. Live the questions for now.'A hugely influential collection for writers and artists of all kinds, Rilke's profound and lyrical letters to a yo...

  • Paradise Lost synopsis, comments

    Paradise Lost

    John Milton

    'An endless moral maze, introducing literature's first Romantic, Satan' John CareyIn his epic poem Paradise Lost Milton conjured up a vast, aweinspiring cosmos ranging across huge ...

  • Last Judgement synopsis, comments

    Last Judgement

    John Carter

    Last Judgement is a riproaring conspiracy thriller debut from John Carter.In a hidden chamber off the coast of Nova Scotia an ancient tablet has been unearthed. Under layers of dir...

  • Great Expectations synopsis, comments

    Great Expectations

    Charles Dickens & Charlotte Mitchell

    'His novels will endure as long as the language itself' Peter AckroydDickens's haunting late novel depicts the education and development of a young man, Pip, as his life is changed...

  • The Odyssey synopsis, comments

    The Odyssey

    Homer, E. V. Rieu & D. C. H. Rieu

    'The Odyssey is a poem of extraordinary pleasures: it is a saltcaked, stormtossed, winedark treasury of tales, of many twists and turns, like life itself' GuardianThe epic tale of ...

  • The Republic synopsis, comments

    The Republic

    Plato & Desmond Lee

    The classic translation of the cornerstone work of western philosophyPlato's Republic is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential works in the history of philosophy. Pres...

  • The Stress Solution synopsis, comments

    The Stress Solution

    Dr Rangan Chatterjee

    From the author of the Sunday Times bestselling The 4 Pillar Plan'One of the most influential doctors in the UK (...) I could talk to Rangan all day (...) he's amazing' Chris Evans...

  • The Pressure Principle synopsis, comments

    The Pressure Principle

    Dr Dave Alred MBE

    ''If you are struggling with exams, vivers, job interviews, work presentations, with performing in a team or individual sport or find it difficult to interact in social situations...

  • Empire synopsis, comments

    Empire

    Niall Ferguson

    Niall Ferguson's acclaimed bestseller on the highs and lows of Britain's empire'A remarkably readable précis of the whole British imperial story triumphs, deceits, decencies, kind...

  • Don Quixote synopsis, comments

    Don Quixote

    Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra & John Rutherford

    The prizewinning translation of Miguel de Cervantes's mockepic masterworkDon Quixote has become so entranced by reading romances of chivalry that he determines to become a knight e...

  • The Early History of Rome synopsis, comments

    The Early History of Rome

    Livy

    'I hope my passion for Rome's past has not impaired my judgement; for I do honestly believe that no country has ever been greater or purer than ours or richer in good citizens and ...

  • The Count of Monte Cristo synopsis, comments

    The Count of Monte Cristo

    Alexandre Dumas

    The epic tale of wrongful imprisonment, adventure and revenge, in its definitive translationThrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim...

  • History of the Peloponnesian War synopsis, comments

    History of the Peloponnesian War

    Thucydides & Rex Warner

    'With icy remorselessness, it puts paid to any notion that the horrors of modern history might be an aberration for it tells of universal war, of terrorism, revolution and genocid...

  • The Brothers Karamazov synopsis, comments

    The Brothers Karamazov

    Fyodor Dostoyevsky

    'The most magnificent novel ever written' Sigmund FreudThe murder of brutal landowner Fyodor Karamazov changes the lives of his sons irrevocably: Mitya, the sensualist, whose bitte...

  • 10 Ways to Make Money in a Free World synopsis, comments

    10 Ways to Make Money in a Free World

    Nicholas Lovell

    Free is coming. We all know how artists and are at risk from filesharing; now digital manufacturing and 3D printing mean that no industry is immune. But the same technology that en...

  • The Orthodox Church synopsis, comments

    The Orthodox Church

    Timothy Ware

    Since its first publication thirty years ago, Timothy Ware’s book has become established throughout the Englishspeaking world as the standard introduction to the Orthodox Church. O...

  • The Turn of the Screw synopsis, comments

    The Turn of the Screw

    Henry James

    'A most wonderful, lurid, poisonous little tale' Oscar WildeThe Turn of the Screw, James's great masterpiece of haunting atmosphere and unbearable tension, tells of a young governe...

  • The Prose Edda synopsis, comments

    The Prose Edda

    Jesse Byock

    The Prose Edda is the most renowned of all works of Scandinavian literature and our most extensive source for Norse mythology. Written in Iceland a century after the close of the V...

  • Frankenstein synopsis, comments

    Frankenstein

    Mary Shelley & Maurice Hindle

    One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World''That rare story to pass from literature into myth' The New York TimesMary Shelley's chilling Gothic tale was conceived when she ...