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Postcards from Penguin
A collection of 100 postcards, each featuring a different and iconic Penguin book jacket. From classics to crime, here are over seventy years of quintessentially British design in one box.
In 1935 Allen Lane stood on a platform at Exeter railway station, looking for a good book for the journey to London. His disappointment at the poor range of paperbacks on offer led him to found Penguin Books. The quality paperback had arrived.
Declaring that 'good design is no more expensive than bad', Lane was adamant that his Penguin paperbacks should cost no more than a packet of cigarettes, but that they should always look distinctive.
Ever since then, from their original - now world-famous - look featuring three bold horizontal stripes, through many different stylish, inventive and iconic cover designs, Penguin's paperback jackets have been a constantly evolving part of Britain's culture. And whether they're for classics, crime, reference or prize-winning novels, they still follow Allen Lane's original design mantra.
NB: There is a strap line on the box that reads 'One Hundred Book Covers in One Box'.
Sometimes, you definitely should judge a book by its cover.
In 1935 Allen Lane stood on a platform at Exeter railway station, looking for a good book for the journey to London. His disappointment at the poor range of paperbacks on offer led him to found Penguin Books. The quality paperback had arrived.
Declaring that 'good design is no more expensive than bad', Lane was adamant that his Penguin paperbacks should cost no more than a packet of cigarettes, but that they should always look distinctive.
Ever since then, from their original - now world-famous - look featuring three bold horizontal stripes, through many different stylish, inventive and iconic cover designs, Penguin's paperback jackets have been a constantly evolving part of Britain's culture. And whether they're for classics, crime, reference or prize-winning novels, they still follow Allen Lane's original design mantra.
NB: There is a strap line on the box that reads 'One Hundred Book Covers in One Box'.
Sometimes, you definitely should judge a book by its cover.
101 pages, Hardcover Box
First published September 15, 2010
87 people want to read
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 27, 2015
A perfectly brilliant concept: 100 very good quality postcards of classic Penguin (paperback) covers, in a nice, solid, front-opening box. They are very almost too gorgeous to use: except that I SHALL write and post this set .. and very likely buy myself a second set for permanent residence on my bookshelves (simply to take out, shuffle, and look at).
Yes, e-mail or texting has its uses; but as a method of communication it is impersonal and really SAD.
I simply can’t help but smile at the iconic book covers on these postcards. They are a real conversation point. What fun it has suddenly become to pick the perfect card to succinctly convey almost any thought or message from ‘Thank you for dinner last night’, to ‘‘Hope you’ll be really happy in your new home’, to ‘Sorry I was a bit ratty (irritated) with you’, to ‘What a wonderful concert at the Barbican that was yesterday’ to …..
So all we need now is the Royal Mail (UK) to (re-)introduce a low cost postcard rate & their business be quids in on profit on the back of a massive increase in deliveries of lightweight, small, postcards. And everyone sending and receiving postcards (especially these Penguins) will be smiling and happier too!
Yes, e-mail or texting has its uses; but as a method of communication it is impersonal and really SAD.
I simply can’t help but smile at the iconic book covers on these postcards. They are a real conversation point. What fun it has suddenly become to pick the perfect card to succinctly convey almost any thought or message from ‘Thank you for dinner last night’, to ‘‘Hope you’ll be really happy in your new home’, to ‘Sorry I was a bit ratty (irritated) with you’, to ‘What a wonderful concert at the Barbican that was yesterday’ to …..
So all we need now is the Royal Mail (UK) to (re-)introduce a low cost postcard rate & their business be quids in on profit on the back of a massive increase in deliveries of lightweight, small, postcards. And everyone sending and receiving postcards (especially these Penguins) will be smiling and happier too!
October 23, 2016
I do enjoy most offerings from Penguin Books and this one is no exception.
When Allen Lane founded Penguin Books in 1935 he probably did not realise that he was creating an icon that would last probably forever. He declared 'good design is no more expensive than bad' and the three bold horizontal stripes certainly proved to be a good design. They have gone through many different stylish, inventive and iconic cover designs but Penguin Books are still instantly recognisable for what they are. Classics, crime, reference, prize-winning novels and the rest, they all follow Allen Lane's original design mantra.
Of course, a selection of 100 covers to appear on postcards is somewhat subjective but one cannot fault the selection in this delightful box. It is a pleasure to turn them over and admire the design and the titles.
'My Man Jeeves' from 1936 sits on the top of my box, simply because I adore 'Plum' and it is followed by Edward Young's 'One of Our Submarines', which was the 1000th Penguin in 1954 and Young was a great choice for this accolade as it was he who designed the Penguin that sits proudly on the front of the books.
'Edward Burra' appears as one of The Penguin Modern Painters in 1945 and to show their versatility three Penguin Handbooks should be mentioned, 'Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps' (1941), 'Scootering', from the days of the Mods in 1962, and 'Soft Fruit Growing' (1945). One has to admire the Penguin choice of titles and their conviction that they would be winners.
'Communications' from 1982 is perhaps a somewhat plain cover designed by Carole Ingham but it still carries that cachet of being a Penguin. 'Thinking to Some Purpose' (1952) and 'An Introduction to Modern Architecture' (1941) are just two of the Pelicans on show while Aldous Huxley's 'Music at Night' (1950) is one of the dark blue variety of Penguin that covered Essays & Belles Lettres.
'Tchaikovsky' (1951) is one of the music scores and that is an early excursion into differently designed covers, apart from, of course, the hardback King Penguin series, which is represented by, for instance, 'Popular English Art' (1945) and a later volume 'A Book of Scripts' (1960).
There are many more titles and designs to drool over and, with some of the modern Penguins having specialist designers for their covers, there is plenty of scope for a second volume - bring it on please!
When Allen Lane founded Penguin Books in 1935 he probably did not realise that he was creating an icon that would last probably forever. He declared 'good design is no more expensive than bad' and the three bold horizontal stripes certainly proved to be a good design. They have gone through many different stylish, inventive and iconic cover designs but Penguin Books are still instantly recognisable for what they are. Classics, crime, reference, prize-winning novels and the rest, they all follow Allen Lane's original design mantra.
Of course, a selection of 100 covers to appear on postcards is somewhat subjective but one cannot fault the selection in this delightful box. It is a pleasure to turn them over and admire the design and the titles.
'My Man Jeeves' from 1936 sits on the top of my box, simply because I adore 'Plum' and it is followed by Edward Young's 'One of Our Submarines', which was the 1000th Penguin in 1954 and Young was a great choice for this accolade as it was he who designed the Penguin that sits proudly on the front of the books.
'Edward Burra' appears as one of The Penguin Modern Painters in 1945 and to show their versatility three Penguin Handbooks should be mentioned, 'Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps' (1941), 'Scootering', from the days of the Mods in 1962, and 'Soft Fruit Growing' (1945). One has to admire the Penguin choice of titles and their conviction that they would be winners.
'Communications' from 1982 is perhaps a somewhat plain cover designed by Carole Ingham but it still carries that cachet of being a Penguin. 'Thinking to Some Purpose' (1952) and 'An Introduction to Modern Architecture' (1941) are just two of the Pelicans on show while Aldous Huxley's 'Music at Night' (1950) is one of the dark blue variety of Penguin that covered Essays & Belles Lettres.
'Tchaikovsky' (1951) is one of the music scores and that is an early excursion into differently designed covers, apart from, of course, the hardback King Penguin series, which is represented by, for instance, 'Popular English Art' (1945) and a later volume 'A Book of Scripts' (1960).
There are many more titles and designs to drool over and, with some of the modern Penguins having specialist designers for their covers, there is plenty of scope for a second volume - bring it on please!
September 8, 2020
Well, it's a box of postcards. You don't read it, you send them. And they're great.
January 8, 2023
Some of my fondest memories are of time spent haunting used bookstores searching for good reads. One thing that always drew my attention was the distinctive covers of Penguin books; I always knew they would be good books at a great price. This collection states: "In 1935 Allen Lane stood on a platform at Exeter railway station, looking for a good book for the journey to London. His disappointment at the poor range of paperbacks on offer led him to found Penguin Books. The quality paperback had arrived."
Declaring that 'good design is no more expensive than bad', Lane was adamant that his Penguin paperbacks should cost no more than a packet of cigarettes, but that they should always look distinctive. Those distinctive covers are known around the world. This collection was walking through a history of my own love of books. I had read 27 of the 100 books in this collection and 23 of them with these covers. It is a wonderful collection for any booklover.
Declaring that 'good design is no more expensive than bad', Lane was adamant that his Penguin paperbacks should cost no more than a packet of cigarettes, but that they should always look distinctive. Those distinctive covers are known around the world. This collection was walking through a history of my own love of books. I had read 27 of the 100 books in this collection and 23 of them with these covers. It is a wonderful collection for any booklover.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews