Penguin Books is a British publishing company founded by Allen Lane along with his brothers, Richard and John Lane, on 30 July 1935. It was originally part of The Bodley House publishing company, of which Lane was managing editor, not becoming a separate company until 1936.
In establishing Penguin Books Lane’s aim was to combat declining book sales during the Depression, and from their first publication Penguin’s inexpensive paperbacks were a massive commercial success. It is said that the idea of making quality books available to all at low prices originally came to him when Lane was returning from visiting Agatha Christie in 1934. He arrived at Exeter train station with nothing to read for the journey home. By the time he arrived back in London the idea of publishing paperback editions of high-quality literature for the price of a packet of cigarettes (around sixpence) had become a clear vision.
Significant and careful planning went into the venture as the low price inevitably meant that margins would be tight. The name ‘Penguin’ was suggested by Lane’s secretary, Joan Coles. Lane adopted it as he thought it had ‘a certain dignified flippancy’.
Early Penguin Books
The first ten Penguin titles to be launched were already popular books and included detective novels by Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, as well as an autobiography by Beverly Nichols. There were also titles by Ernest Hemingway and André Maurois. The books were an immediate success and were sold through Woolworths and other high street stores. Some books were even sold from a vending machine set up in a bookshop in Charing Cross Road, known as the ‘Penguincubator’. Such was the success of the Penguin brand that over a million copies had been sold by the end of 1935.
Penguin Books cover designs and colours
Design was an important element of the Penguin brand, and Lane decided to avoid gaudy cover images. Instead, he decided on a simple appearance. The first covers consisted of three horizontal bands (the horizontal grid), the upper and lower bands being colour coded according to genre, and were designed by Edward Young, a junior editor. In the central white panel was the author and title in black, while the upper band included a cartouche with the legend Penguin Books. The 7 1/8″ by 4 3/8″ size was settled upon because it would fit neatly into a pocket and it was thought to be aesthetically pleasing.
The Penguin Books colour schemes included: orange and white for general fiction, green and white for crime fiction, and dark blue and white for biography. Later, the colour scheme was expanded to include yellow and white for miscellaneous writing, red and white for drama, purple and white for essays, and grey and white for world affairs.
Cover images were introduced later when the early horizontal bars design was replaced with vertical lines in a design known as Marber’s grid, devised by Romek Marber, a freelance designer in 1961. The traditional colour coding was retained. The cover design then evolved into carefully selected illustrations.
Lane launched a non-fiction imprint after hearing a member of the public at King’s Cross Railway Station bookstall ask in error for a ‘Pelican book’. Titles in the Pelican range include A Short History of the World by H. G. Wells, and Pelicans were identified by their light blue covers. Puffin Picture Books followed in 1940 and were published with the aim of helping evacuees adjust to their new surroundings.
Are vintage Penguin Books valuable?
Vintage Penguin Books editions are rarely valuable as they were usually printed in very large numbers. As a rough guide, even sought-after early titles are seldom worth more than a new hardback, but they are beautifully designed and are gorgeous pieces of literary history.
To see the vintage Penguin Books editions which I currently have available in my Etsy shop, please click HERE (by clicking this link my Etsy shop will open in a new tab).
