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Maigret and the Penguin Books

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Editor: James Mackay
Date: 2015
ISBN: 9780993110634
Type: PCS Publication
Pages: 112
Medium: Paperback
Series: Crime, Main Series
Focus: Authors, Books, Design

Georges Simenon was one of history's most energetic authors. Starting as a journalist and with pulp fiction, he went on to crime – writing it, that is – romans durs (serious novels), and numerous autobiographical works. While many of his detective novels used other characters, the one for whom he is best know is Jules Maigret. Maigret appeared in 75 novels, three quarters in an atmospheric Parisian setting.

The Maigret stories have been very widely translated. For over 60 years Penguin has been Simenon's main paperback publisher in the UK and is currently producing a complete edition of Maigret in new translations.

Introducing this volume is the article by Julian Barnes which marked the start of Penguin's new edition. James Mackay tackles the complicated publishing history of Maigret in Penguin and provides a detailed bibliography summarising this complexity. With illustrations of all 127 of the Penguin Maigret covers issued between 1945 and 2007, this volume is an essential reference to Maigret in Penguin. Finally there is a brief guide to many other works on Simenon and Maigret which devotees of both will relish exploring.

This is the second volume in the Penguin Papers series, the first being William Shakespeare in Penguin Books by Martin Yates. The series is intended to provide relatively modest but still well researched material on any aspect of Penguin.

Perfect bound, A format, 11.1 x 18.1 cms; 148, mostly colour, illustrations

Printed by Short Run Press
Print run 750 copies