Penguin Books talk at U3A group

The first talk of the new year was both very interesting and humorous.

Barry Edwards entertained his audience as he told the story of Penguin books, the first successful paperbacks in the UK. Alan Lane was a member of the family that owned and printed the Bodley Head books. Standing on Exeter Station in 1935 after visiting Agatha Christie, he realised that there were no books available for travellers to buy on the station. The idea of paperbacks was born. 

At the time, hardbacked books were seven shillings a copy, the paperbacks were sold for sixpence (pre-decimal). Production costs were two and a halfpence per copy, and one farthing per copy went to the author. 

On the first day of publication, ten books were released, the distinctive covers were colour coded according to the book content. Blue for biography, orange for general fiction, green for mystery and crime, and grey for politics were just some of the types available. Penguin paperbacks were a huge success, stocked at railway stations by W.H.Smith and by Woolworths who had at least 12 copies of each book in each store; the books proved popular. Some London stations had a type of vending machine, although there were only 12 in use.

Alan Lane resigned from Bodley Head in 1936 and Penguin Books were a stand alone company. Each book had a number on the spine, release number 1484 in 1960 being Lady Chatterley’s Lover. That book sold 3.3 million copies in one year. In 1970 Penguin Books was acquired by Pearson’s. 

Barry showed us some of his large Penguin collection, a first edition of book 1, and some war edamongst others.

Our spring programme continues on Tuesday 12th February, when the subject will be “Childhood ain’t what it used to be”. The meeting starts at 2pm prompt in the United Reformed Church Hall, newcomers are welcome