Reading with a mission: the public sphere of Penguin Books

Abstract

This article traces the history of Penguin Books from its origins in 1935 to the death of its founder, Allen Lane, in 1970. It places the development of Penguin in the context of the history of publishing during these years and assesses the reasons for the firm's success. The contrasting careers of two of Penguin's most influential editors (W. E. Williams and Tony Godwin) are examined. It also looks at the changing nature of reading in this period and the relationship between the development of a new reading public and the new type of paperback publishing inaugurated by Penguin. It considers Penguin's explicit cultural and educational mission and related issues of access and use. The article closes with a look at the usefulness of Habermas's concept of 'the public sphere'. It argues that reading should be understood as an essentially social and not a private activity.