Publications
The Society produces a wide range of publications, which are available here for purchase securely on-line through PayPal. Click the buttons next to each publication to add them to your shopping basket. If you prefer not to order online, then you can use this form to create a printed order, and follow the instructions for sending payment.
Postage
Please ensure that you add the correct postage to your order. This prevents delays in dispatching your items.
WE REGRET THAT OVERSEAS ORDERS WILL NOT BE DISPATCHED UNLESS THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT IS ADDED FOR POSTAGE - all of our overseas mail is sent airmail.
- Postage within the UK is FREE.
- Airmail postage to Europe (not UK): £3
- Airmail postage to rest of world: £5
- Airmail postage to rest of world for Penguin by Illustrators only (because of its extra weight): £8
New Publications
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The Buildings of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales: A Sixtieth Anniversary Catalogue of the Pevsner Architectural Guides
This book represents the culmination of substantial detective work by James Mackay who has been comparing editions, checking stocklists, delving into the Bristol archive, and climbing the stacks of the Pearson archive at Rugby for quite a few years now, and the resultant book provides a detailed follow-up to the earlier work of Bridget Cherry in classifying the Buildings of England series. The details of every edition, placed in a chronological structure, provide an opportunity to see how Penguin’s publishing policy developed, at times planned but often in a noticeably haphazard way. The book includes all volumes published to date by both Penguin and Yale University Press, the series having been transferred to the latter in 2002.
The book also contains an extract from Susie Harries’s recent biography, Nikolaus Pevsner: The Life and a Society ‘first’ – a specially translated ‘Afterword’ to Pevsner’s earliest publication, Leipziger Barock. In this piece Ernst Ullmann, formerly Director of the Institute for Art History at the University of Leipzig, considered the place of Pevsner in the evolution of art history in Germany and summarised Pevsner’s later work. He concluded by assessing Pevsner’s contribution to the understanding and appreciation of his native city. Leipziger Barock itself has not been translated and this Afterword has been specially translated for the Society by Catherine Mackay.
The book is in the same format as the current volumes, 215 × 117 mm, and has 96 pages including numerous illustrations in colour
Price: £8.00
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Penguin Papers No. 1: William Shakespeare in Penguin Books
This is the first of a new series intended to provide relatively modest but still well researched material on any aspect of Penguin. Martin Yates has certainly fulfilled this brief and provided a very readable survey of works (and early computer software) written by or about Shakespeare, published by Penguin, as well as lists of the various Shakespeare series. This first Penguin Paper is in three main parts – text, tables and images:
1) A narrative description of the books, with thumbnail images of the main series. It begins with the plays series, which include the ‘non dramatic poetry’, and then describes the many ways Shakespeare’s works have been collected, selected and written about.
2) Reference lists of the series, the plays, the Shakespeare studies and the main contributors.
3) An ‘image library’ giving a representative selection of the very varied cover art.
B format, 198 × 129 mm, 56 pages with numerous illustrations in colour
Price: £6.00
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Drawn Direct to the Plate
This is Joe Pearson’s long-awaited study of Noel Carrington and the Puffin Picture Books. Apart from a comprehensive survey of the books in this series, it places the series in the context of its lithographic precursors, principally Russian and French children’s books, and others published by Country Life. It also covers many of the Puffin Picture Books’ wartime rivals, such as Transatlantic Arts and Bantam Picture Books, as well as other works by many of the Puffin illustrators. Baby Puffins, Puffin Cut-out Books and Carrington’s later Harlequin Books are also covered in detail. The book ends with a section on Carrington and the Art of Lithography and an extended selection of Carrington’s own writings.
The book is a handsome production, in landscape format, 19.5 × 26cms, with 216 pages and 380 illustrations, the great majority of which are in colour. For postage abroad, please add £3 for other European countries; £8 for the rest of the world, per copy ordered.
Price: £20.00
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A Checklist of the Puffin Picture Books and Related Series
A companion to Drawn Direct to the Plate this provides detailed printing information for all known editions of Puffin Picture Books; Puffin Cut-out Books; Baby Puffins; Porpoise Books; Livros Ilustrados Puffin; Collection du Vieux Chamois; other foreign-language Puffin Picture Books; and Harlequin Books. Each title is illustrated in colour.
The book is in the same landscape format as most Puffin Picture Books, 18.1 × 22.2cms, with 80 pages and 212 illustrations, the great majority of which are in colour. For postage abroad, please add £3 for other European countries; £5 for the rest of the world, per copy ordered.
Price: £10.00
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Penguin by Illustrators
In 2005, as a contribution to Penguin Books’ 70th anniversary, the Society organised a study day at the V&A to which some of the great names in Penguin design were invited to speak. The day’s events were published in book form, Penguin by Designers, in 2007, and copies arrived on the very day that we held our second study day at the V&A, this time featuring Penguin illustrators.
Penguin by Illustrators is a celebration of that event, featuring in Part One the five presentations of Dennis Bailey, Romek Marber, Jan Pieńkowski, Tony Lyons and Jon Gray, and supplemented by Phil Baines’s introduction, and two further chapters by Quentin Blake and David Gentleman. In Part Two a further 27 artists were invited to write short essays about particular books or short series that they had illustrated for Penguin.
For a longer description of this major new work by the Society, click here.
Read a review of Penguin by Illustrators
Price: £20.00
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Penguin Classics
Penguin Classics – a 144-page updated edition of the 1994 Miscellany of the same name. Containing a dozen articles on all aspects of Penguin Classics from The Odyssey and E.V. Rieu to the 21st century Red Series and Modern Classics this beautiful publication is essential for anyone with an interest in the ‘L’ series.
Price: £10.00
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The Penguin Companion
This publication is a must for anyone interested in Penguin Books. It is fully described in our Penguin Companion page. It is a ‘B format’ paperback of 250 pages and has over 300 illustrations, most of them in colour.
Price: £15.00
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Wherever you go - take a Penguin Book
Set of 10 colour postcards.
The PCS recently acquired, and donated to the Penguin Archive at Bristol University, a unique piece of Penguin history. A 1940’s poster – Wherever you go take a Penguin Book. We have sold out of the limited edition of 50 numbered copies, but now have these postcard sets available. Click here for background details.
Price: £4.00
Miscellany
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Penguins March On (No. 11, December 1996)
Joe Pearson’s wide-ranging study of the state of publishing during WWII, and the special measures taken by Penguin to maintain output in the face of rationing. This included launching the Forces Book Club, Penguin Services Editions, special editions for PoWs, US publications in conjunction with the Infantry Journal, and licensing deals with publishers in Egypt and Australia. Includes checklists and copious illustrations. Perfect bound, 96pp.
Price: £6.00
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Pelican Books (No. 12, July 1997)
An original publication comprising mainly commissioned articles from authors and academics involved with the series: Asa Briggs, Boris Ford, Richard Hoggart, Jack Marpurgo and designer Gerald Cinamon. It also includes articles on religion in Pelican and selections from the Penguin editorial archives on Kitto’s The Greeks and Kenneth Mason’s Anthology of Animal Poetry. Illustrated, perfect bound in mock Pelican format. 88pp
Price: £6.00
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Lost Causes (No. 13, December 1998)
Steve Hare read the entire Penguin editorial archive as part of his research for Penguin’s 60th anniversary celebratory volume. While these files related to books published, occasionally correspondence relating to abandoned books or series was kept, more or less by accident in random files. From these clues it was possible to piece together the hugely ambitious plans for postwar expansion. While projects like Penguin Classics, and the Buildings of England thrived, at least two major undertakings had to be abandoned: the World Atlas project, and the definitive Natural History of Britain. To these are added a beautifully produced treatment on vernacular architecture, by Margaret and Alexander Potter; and one series actually published, but almost immediately and cynically abandoned, Grace Hogarth’s exquisite Porpoise Books. 64pp; large format, perfect bound with 4 colour plates and b&w illustrations.
Price: £8.00
Other PCS Publications
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Penguin Collectors Companion (1997)
Though now superseded by the new improved version we still have a few copies of the original 1997 edition. This contains much still useful information and is recommended for beginners. Now offered at the bargain price of £4.
Price: £4.00
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The Buildings of England: A Celebration (2001)
Published to celebrate the series’ half century, Simon Bradley and Bridget Cherry’s book contains a selection of published essays on aspects of the series, from the obscure (Private Eye’s ‘Baldy Pevsner’) to the essential: articles by Simon Jenkins, Colin McInnes, Dieter Pevsner, Geoffrey Moorhouse etc. 128pp + 8pp plates, some in colour.
While this book sold out some time ago, we have some imperfect copies which have the colour illustrations (complete but bound in the wrong order), and which lack the dustjacket illustrated here. Hence at a reduced price.
Price: £5.00
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Allen Lane (2002)
A facsimile of the booklet of tributes to Allen Lane by Harry Paroissien, Richard Hoggart and Sir Robert Lusty. The original was produced at the time of Allen Lane’s memorial service in 1970. The facsimile was produced to commemorate the centenary of his birth in 2002.
Price: £4.00
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The Penguin Modern Painters: A HIstory (2001)
Carol Peaker’s detailed and thorough examination of the state of British art between the wars, and during WWII. Allen Lane persuaded Sir Kenneth Clark to front a series which aimed to do for modern artists, what Penguin had already achieved for writers: universal accessibility and appreciation. At a time when Penguin’s main output comprised books printed on paper so crudely recycled that whole words from previous printings were often visible, they contrived somehow to obtain high-quality art paper for this hugely influential, and popular series. Large format, perfect-bound; 124pp; 12 colour plates.
Price: £15.00
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Father and Son (1999)
An original publication compiled and edited by Steve Hare to celebrate the Society’s 25th anniversary. A number of well-known writers were invited to submit articles or reminiscences on their parents who were in some way involved in the early development of Penguin. Contributors include Martin on Adrian Bell; Simon on Richard Hoggart; Nigel on Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West; Alexander on Auberon, Evelyn and Alec Waugh. 68pp, illustrated throughout. Original cover design by David Gentleman.
Price: £4.00
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W.E. Williams: Educator Extraodinary (1999)
Previously unpublished manuscript dating from 1980, Gertrude Williams’ biography of her husband, a key figure in British culture for at least a third of the 20th century. Williams was the main Pelican editor; he ran army education during WWII, and was one of the founders of the Arts Council. Hardbound book with dustwrapper, based on the design of Williams’ own memoir of Allen Lane, published by the Bodley Head after Lane’s death. The book includes a selection of correspondence mostly to Lane from Williams, which round off this influential but now undeservedly forgotten author, editor, critic, personality and ‘mover and shaker’ in the arts.
Price: £5.00
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Life Histories (1996)
In 1960, the artist and writer Paxton Chadwick died shortly before completing this book for Noel Carrington’s Puffin Picture Book series. Carrington retired, and the book was never published, and its catalogue number, PP116, was never used. The original text and plates remained, and were used to recreate the book as closely as possible to its original conception. The book was designed by John Miles, a former Penguin typographer and author and illustrator of a title in the same series. It was printed in three colours by Battley Brothers, under the supervision of the London College of Printing. Published in an edition of 1,000, the book is sold with an accompanying 12-page booklet by Steve Hare, on the history of the Puffin Picture Books, and the reasons for Chadwick’s final book never being published; The Life History of Life Histories.
Price: £8.00