Penguin (book)

Penguin Books is a British publishing house founded in 1935 by Allen Lane, his brothers Richard and John, and V. K. Krishna Menon. It revolutionized publishing in the 1930s by offering high-quality paperback books at an affordable price (sixpence). This accessibility made literature and non-fiction available to a wider audience, challenging the traditional dominance of hardcover books.

Penguin Books' initial success stemmed from its focus on reprinting existing works, but it soon expanded to publishing original titles. It established several distinct series, each identified by color-coded covers: orange for fiction, dark blue for biography, green for crime, and purple for essays and miscellaneous.

Throughout its history, Penguin Books has been known for its commitment to quality and intellectual rigor. It has published works by some of the most influential writers and thinkers of the 20th and 21st centuries, covering a vast range of subjects, including literature, history, science, philosophy, politics, and art.

Penguin Books is now an imprint of Penguin Random House, a multinational conglomerate. Despite changes in ownership and the evolution of the publishing industry, Penguin Books remains a significant and respected publisher, maintaining its commitment to providing accessible and high-quality books to readers worldwide. The iconic Penguin logo and the distinctive design of its books have become synonymous with quality and accessibility in publishing.