Penguin Books have been around since 1935, when Allen Lane couldn’t find a decent book at the train station, but in these increasingly difficult times for selling physical books (increasing costs, supply issues and competing with the electronic and international market) Penguin have been pushing out the Popular Penguins. You’ve probably seen them in bookshops all over the place: a distinctive and slightly old-fashioned orange cover and a cover price of $9.95. (I got a sweet deal at the airport of 3 for $25 – $8.33 for a book, hooray!)
What’s so good about this? The range is fantastic and, at this price, it means that you can catch up on all of those books that you always thought that you should have read (or said that you did read) and not have to pay $30 for the privilege. I’m surrounded by books that I haven’t read for years and ones that I’ve always wanted to read. Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” sits next to Burroughs “Junky”, on a stack that includes Capote, Collins, de Botton and Feynman.
Need a quick read of something with a little bit of substance but don’t want to spend too much? Look at the Popular Penguins website for a list of books that you can go and buy from a real, live bookseller!
Nick Falkner, author and artist. 