Penguin Historical Files: DM1294

These papers pertain to the history of Penguin Books Ltd. over the first fifty years of business, and touch on the nature of publishing, the use of paperback books in education, and the changes brought about in reading habits since the publication of the first Penguin books.   There is much information on the design of Penguin books, including materials by individuals such as Jan Tschichold, Hans Schmoller, W.E. (Bill) Williams, Edward Young, Alan Aldridge, Tony Godwin, Kaye Webb, and others.  There are scrapbooks covering the early years, and photographs of Penguin-related events, people, and activities.  These papers were accumulated by Penguin to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Penguin Books in 1985.  This material was used in an exhibition and for a book, Fifty Penguin Years by Linda Lloyd Jones and Jeremy Aynsley (Penguin Books Ltd, 1985).

This collection is arranged by genre of material - including scrapbooks; photographs; video and audio cassettes of interviews; research files; files on specific series; files on typography and design; correspondence; advertising materials; and files on corporate logo design.  It has been added to over the years.

Handlists to DM1294: (work in progress)
DM1294 Contents page (36.5 Kb, doc)
DM1294/1 Scrapbooks (67.0 Kb, doc)
DM1294/2 Photographs, negatives and slides (542 Kb, doc)
DM1294/3 Research files (by date) (217 Kb, doc)
DM1294/4 Research files (by topic) (177 Kb, doc)
DM1294/5 Peter Mayer's files for Penguin's 50th anniversary (101 Kb, doc)
DM1294/6 Video and audio cassettes (184 Kb, doc)
DM1294/7 Penguin 50th anniversary visitors' book and exhibition captions (30.5 Kb, doc)
DM1294/8 Penguin publication programmes and book promotions (42.0 Kb, doc)
DM1294/9 Chrismas books, pirated Penguin books, authors' manuscripts and papers (89.0 Kb, doc)
DM1294/10 Book catalogues and stock lists (222 Kb, doc)
DM1294/11 Puffin Club magazines (84.5 Kb, doc)
DM1294/12 Promotional and Point-of-Sale material (4.87 MB, doc)
DM1294/13 Colophons and logos (1.96 MB, doc)
DM1294/14 Interviews and obituaries (144 Kb, doc)
DM1294/15 Anniversaries and celebrations (130 Kb, doc)
DM1294/16 Typography and design (3.38 MB, doc)
DM1294/17 Penguin Group series and abandoned series (152 Kb, doc)
DM1294/18 Books about Penguin Books (40.5 Kb, doc)

Dates of Creation: 1935-1987

Extent: 107 archive boxes

Immediate Source of Acquisition: On deposit with the University of Bristol Special Collections from Penguin Books Ltd.

Access Conditions: Accessible to all bona fide readers with written permission from Penguin Books Ltd.  A typescript catalogue is available in Special Collections.  Work is being carried out on updating this catalogue.

Copyright/Reproduction: Permission to copy material must be obtained from Penguin Books Ltd and the University of Bristol Library Special Collections.

See also:
Linda Lloyd Jones and Jeremy Aynsley Fifty Penguin Years (Penguin, 1985)
Phil Baines Penguin by design: a cover story 1935-2000 (Allen Lane, 2005)
Seven hundred Penguins (Penguin, 2007)
J.E. Morpurgo Allen Lane: King Penguin (Hutchinson, 1979)
Steve Hare (ed.) Penguin Portrait: Allen Lane and the Penguin Editors 1935-1970 (Penguin, 1995)
Jeremy Lewis Penguin Special: the Life and Times of Allen Lane (Penguin, 2005)
Alistair McCleary In Search of a Hero: Looking for Allen Lane (Penguin Collectors' Society, 2006)
Tim Graham (ed.) Penguin in Print: A Bibliography (Penguin Collectors' Society, 2003)
Penguin Company History, Penguin Books Ltd. website.

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