King Penguin Books

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K 32 by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1946)

King Penguin Books is an English-language book series of the publishing house Penguin Books , which was laid at 76, always illustrated volumes from 1939 to 1959.

Edition history

  • Beginning at the beginning of the Second World War, editing, typographer

The English publisher Allen Lane was inspired to the book series (abbreviation: K ), the first two editions of which came into the book trade in November 1939, from the Insel-Bücherei, which he knew from Germany and had been successful there since 1912 . A Book of Roses was originally intended to be the first volume , as the first presentation of the series project in early 1940 in the Penguins Progress publishing house . First War Number reveals. In fact, the series began with British Birds on Lake, River and Stream (K 1, British Birds in Lake, River and Stream), the volume "Book of Roses" followed. Allen Lane had already developed the idea of ​​an edition of illustrated Penguin editions with a special design, based on the model of the Insel-Bücherei. After the Illustrated Classics series, which appeared in 1938, had not met the public's approval due to its small format and simple paper and was discontinued after 10 issues, Lane intensified his considerations on a new series, as the illustrated editions of him would otherwise be the figurehead of the simple brochures from large editions to sixpence were intended for the publishing house.

Sample of an illustration from K 1: "British Birds" ( Mallard , painted by John Gould ), supplement to "Penguins Progress" (1940)

The editor of the first five titles was Elizabeth Senior , who previously worked at the British Museum . She was killed in a bomb attack on London in 1941 . After two titles in 1939 and 1940 and one more in 1941, no new publications were recorded for 1942 either.
It was not until 1943 that the series was continued by the art historian Nikolaus Pevsner , who had emigrated from Germany, as literary editor and R. B. Fishenden as technical editor. Jan Tschichold was responsible for the typography from 1947 to 1949 and Hans Schmoller from 1949. As an author, Pevsner himself appeared in the series for K 17 ( The Leaves of Southwell ) and K 62 ( Medieval Carvings in Exeter Cathedral by C. J. P. Cave).

In the early years, however, the results of the King Penguin production did not yet correspond to the publisher's expectations, although some volumes were later to experience several editions, i.e. had generally found acceptance with the public. In a memorandum of October 4, 1943, probably intended for the editors Pevsner and Fishenden, Lane criticized the early titles K 6 ( British Shells ) to K 13 ( Edible Fungi ) - K 12 ( The Poet's Corner ) was not discussed - and others. a. the selection of authors and designers of the color tables, the cover designs and the print quality, but also the mere execution of the page numbering with Roman or Arabic numerals. Even under wartime conditions, he did not tolerate the delayed delivery of K 13 outside the mushroom season in August and September 1944, which could endanger sales. The explanations for each title in detail show that Lane was willing to implement the series project on a high level of content, design and printing technology, which was usually also achieved with the later series titles.

Letter from N. Pevsner to a reader from 1955
  • Circulation size and subsequent editions

There are no reliable documents on the exact number of copies for the individual titles. The publisher Lane assumed 20,000 copies would be necessary before a profit could be made. And at the end of 1955, the editor N. Pevsner pointed out in a letter to a reader rejecting her proposed topic for the series that the minimum print run of a planned title should be 25,000 copies (Fig.). However, the average circulation sold is only estimated at 10,000 to 20,000 copies per title.
Only 17 titles reached a second edition in the series and five of them were further editions. In addition to pure reprints, the content of several titles was also worked on, in some cases further illustrations were added. This applies in particular to the several new editions, such as Elizabethan Miniatures (K 8) by Carl Winter, The Bayeux tapestry (K 10) by Eric Maclagan or A book of scripts (K 48) by Alfred Fairbank. They are shown as "revised editions" in the imprint.

  • End of the series in 1959

Due to the constant rise in printing costs in the 1950s, which had to be passed on via the retail price, demand continued to decline. In 1953 and 1954, 4 new titles each could be completed. After that, however, the sales difficulties had become so entrenched that in 1955 only two volumes had appeared, namely K 73 ( The Picture of Cricket by John Arlott) and K 74 ( Woodland Birds by Phyllis Barclay-Smith ), only in 1957 with K 75 ( Monumental Brasses by James Mann) the penultimate could follow and finally after two years with the last series title The Sculpture of the Parthenon (K 76, P. E. Corbett) the book series had to be discontinued for economic reasons.

In the English-speaking countries - but also in Germany due to the proximity to the Insel-Bücherei - many collectors of the thematically diverse and also optically attractive series have found each other, who also try to capture the different cover variants and editions.

Equipment and sales price

  • Cover design

The first 5 volumes published by Elizabeth Senior were delivered with a single-colored cover, which was decorated with a different-colored striped pattern running along the spine. On the front cover, a penguin and the imprint “The KING PENGUIN Books” indicate the series affiliation.
In spending K 3 to 5 were next Pappeinbänden alternatively brochures before. K 6 ( British Shells by F. Martin Duncan) was designed similarly to the first 5 volumes, but the marginal strips are already missing.

From K 7 onwards, the exterior of the King Penguin Books clearly resembles the Insel-Bücherei for many titles. This was well known to the new editor Nikolaus Pevsner from his time in Germany and will therefore have been the inspiration for the complete redesign of the cover. So most books usually show a subject that is related to the content of the tapes related and often rapport-like repeats. However, completely independent graphic cover designs are also used, some of which take up historical templates.

  • Binding variants with prototype issues

  • K 5 by E. H. Gombrich and E. Kris: Caricature , graphic design (K 1 to K 5)

  • K 32 by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol , EA, use of older samples (here: first edition of the text from 1843)

  • Compared to K 32: Front cover of the first edition from 1843

  • K 32 (cover with illustration according to the frontispiece ), motif from the contents

  • K 67 by R. A. H. Coombes: Mountain Birds (Gebirgsvögel), sample paper

  • Compared to K 67: Insel-Bücherei 347/2, Der Sachsenspiegel

In contrast to the Insel-Bücherei, where the adhesive technology dominated until around 1980, the title plates used in this series were always printed on the cover. On the spine of the book there is again the title, a penguin as a symbol of the series and mostly the volume number. In the case of the latter, K 56, “Early British Railway” (Christian Barman), had the wrong number “55” on the back, which was corrected in the dust jacket.

The from the perspective of the viewer otherwise always right eyed penguin has in K 23, that of the mycologist John Ramsbottom authored book "Poisonous Fungi" ( toadstools , rotated) his head to the left, and accordingly entitled contributes K 20, "English Ballet “, The penguin a tutu and takes a dance pose.

  • Illustrations

In contrast to the pure text volumes that used to predominate in the Insel-Bücherei, the titles of the series were exclusively illustrated: Life in an English village (Edward Bawden, text by Noel Carrington (K 51)) or with an introductory text part of a picture part such as B. The Picture of Cricket (K 7, Bilder vom Cricket ) or Egyptian Paintings (K 71, Ancient Egyptian wall paintings ), edited. The publisher often commissioned book artists to design the individual titles .

  • Dust jackets

After the Second World War, from 1951 in general - also for re-editions of older titles - and additionally with the volume A Book of Scripts by Alfred Fairbank (K 48), published as early as 1949, and the remainder of the first edition of A Christmas Carol (Christmas Eve) by Charles Dickens (K 32), dust jackets were also added to the tapes , which exactly replicate the look of the respective tape.

  • Sales prices

The first four editions cost 1 shilling , which was double the price of a normal penguin paperback at 6 pence. The purchase price was indicated on K 1 and K 2 on the back in one line. In the case of later binding rates from 1940, the line was overprinted with a colored bar in view of the price increase. From K 5, the retail price had doubled. This was then valid for the last time at K 24 from 1945 ( Birds of the Sea by R. M. Lockley with color plates by Richard B. Talbot Kelly ). After that, it fluctuated between 2 shillings and 2 shillings 6 pence until 1949, then increased gradually so that finally K 68, 69 and 71 as well as the last four issues (K 73 to K 76) were sold for 5 shillings. The prices were mostly stated on the front blurb of the dust jacket; In the event of price increases or, in exceptional cases, also reductions, older stock titles were provided with a round price sticker at this point.

subjects

The content of the series ranges from several volumes with natural themes: British Birds on Lake, River and Stream (K 1, British birds in lake, river and stream), A Book of Mosses (K 57, A book about mosses), about landscapes - and city descriptions from Great Britain: A Prospect of Wales (K 4, A View of Wales), Rudolph Ackermann's Cambridge (K 69), to descriptions of art: The English Tradition in Design (K 34) or Woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer (K 39, Woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer). Overall, the series is dominated by natural history topics with almost a third of the titles. 24 volumes alone are devoted to the - predominantly domestic - fauna and flora, and another to semi-precious stones. In the zootechnical editions, the editorial focus is on ornithological treatises (7 volumes) and for flora on depictions of flowers (5 volumes). Other larger topics include art and literature (8 volumes), "Beautiful Great Britain" (7 volumes), folk arts and crafts (5 volumes), British heritage (4 volumes), fashion and clothing, and classical Greece (3 volumes each) . Had the 80 or so volumes still appeared, for which the publisher already had ideas, the weighting of the series topics would have shifted a little more towards art and cultural history.

Special features of the printing process

In the series, the text and drawings of a title, The Book of Toys (K 26), which, with 55,806 copies, was among the top sales figures for King Penguins, were applied directly to the lithographic stone (autolithography) by the author Gwen White then was printed. This technique was used for the illustrations in other volumes, such as the already mentioned volume Life in an English village (K 51) and John Piper's Romney Marsh (K 55).

Row advertising and directories

The publisher presented the range of available volumes primarily in the series itself through inserts in the King Penguin Books and the listing of a small selection of around a dozen current series titles ( A selected list of King Penguins ) and in some cases also some expected volumes ( Forthcoming titles ) on the back flap of the dust jacket. In addition, new titles were initially referred to in the advertising Penguins Progress , which was sent to buyers free of charge and appeared from 1936 to 1940 and 1946 to 1951. The series project was first mentioned in the already mentioned Penguins Progress. First War Number from 1940. The booksellers were also announced new publications with monthly lists, which were also sent to private customers when postage was taken over.

In 1950 the publisher published a sixteen-page brochure King Penguin Books especially for this series . A complete descriptive list . At this point in time, the series number K 57 (Paul Richards: Mosses ) had been reached with 2 gaps , of which 19 titles were already out of stock. For 1951 6 new editions (2 outstanding and 4 new issues up to K 61; E. G. R. Taylor (Ed.): Tudor Atlas of England and Wales by John Speed ​​(1627)) were announced.

In addition, the volumes were listed in the complete (“Complete list”), partial directories (“Classified list”) and stock lists (“Stock list”) published by the publisher at irregular intervals from 1946 onwards. Series volumes (K 17, 35, 38, 73 and 74) were last found in the September 1970 stock list . In the following issue of February 1971 and all future issues, these were missing; the series had come to an end.

  • Series advertisement at K 61 "An Atlas of Tudor England and Wales" (1951)

  • 4-page advertising leaflet

  • Advertising leaflet, back

  • Blurb advertising

Translations and reprints out of sequence

In 1952, the Paris publishing house Deberny et Peignot published Fairbanks A Book of Scripts , the cover of which was made by Jan Tschichold with reference to a design by Juan de Yciar from 1547, in the original French translation under the title Écritures .

In preparation for the Olympic Games in Mexico City , the title Magic Books from Mexico by Cottie Arthur Burland (K 64) saw a new paperback reprint in 1966 by the publisher Édiciones Lara, México.

Ackermann's Cambridge (K 59) by Reginald Ross Williamson from 1951 was published again in 1985 with the same cover pattern and again with a dust jacket by Penguin Books.

There were also new editions of titles after the end of the series in expanded form and enlarged format. The volume of John Gloag's The English tradition in design in the revised and enlarged edition (size 8 ° ) from 1959 had grown to 84 pages (K 34 from 1946: 36). The above-mentioned volume A Book of Scripts was revised and slightly enlarged in 1969 in the “Pelican Books” series, also running at Penguin Books, as a brochure and in a hardcover with a dust jacket ( Penguin Library Editions ) and in 1977 with a slightly changed and now red and white cover pattern Faber & Faber (London) published as a brochure.

Serial archive

Documents relating to the development of the series, including correspondence relating to it, can be found in the “Penguin Archive”, which is kept in the special collections of the University of Bristol . Allan Lane was awarded the title of " Master of Arts " (MA) honorary from this university in 1948 .

Others

On the occasion of the publication of the 50th King Penguin title, Edwin Christensen's Popular Art in the United States , a celebration was held in Bedford Gardens (London) in June 1949, to which two live penguins were brought from the London Zoo as a row symbol. Participants were u. a. the publisher Allan Lane, the editor Nikolaus Pevsner as well as responsible employees such as RB Fishenden, Betty Radice and Eunice Frost, the Tate Gallery director John Rothenstein and the artists Emile Victor Rieu and Feliks Topolski.

literature

  • Russell Edwards: So much admired. Die Insel Bücherei and The King Penguins with checklists of the illustrated volumes. Salvia Books, Edinburgh 1988, 108 pp.
  • Patrick Storrs Fox: The King Penguins and the Island Library . In: Bühler, Hans-Eugen, u. a. (Ed.): Inselbücherei. Messages for friends. Number 5. Insel Verlag Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig 1992, pp. 27 ff., ISBN 3-458-16233-X
  • Michael Lake: King Penguins. A survey of the series . Penguin Collectors Society 2014, ISBN 978-0-9931106-0-3 (English)
  • JE Morpurgo: Allen Lane. King Penguin . Hutchinson of London, London 1979 (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ It is true that the publishing font Penguins Progress. First War Number (1940) given as “just before Christmas”, but most sources give November 1939 as the delivery date of the two first volumes
  2. ↑ a b Penguins Progress. First War Number . undated [1940], nn [p. 13/14]
  3. ^ Morpurgo: Allen Lane. King Penguin . London 1979, p. 142 f.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Compare the English Wikipedia to: John Arlott , Edward Bawden , Cottie Arthur Burland , Noel Carrington , C. J. P. Cave , F. Martin Duncan , Alfred Fairbank , John Gloag , James Laver , R. M. Lockley , Eric Maclagan , James Mann , John Piper , Paul Richards , Hans Schmoller , Carl Winter , Juan de Yciar , Early Railway History of Great Britain , Betty Radice , Eunice Frost , Emile Victor Rieu and Feliks Topolski .
  5. ↑ Michael Lake: King Penguins. A survey of the series . Penguin Collectors Society 2014, p. 96 ff. (Appendix 1)
  6. ↑ a b P.St. Fox: The King Penguins and the Island Library . Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig 1992, p. 31
  7. ↑ Not counted here are the editions published by Penguin Books after 1959 outside the series or by other publishers with the permission of Penguin Books.
  8. ↑ Compare the Penguin First Editions - King Penguin Books website for the cover drafts . Title of Series .
  9. ↑ Michael Lake: King Penguins. A survey of the series . Penguin Collectors Society 2014, p. 105 (Appendix 3)
  10. ↑ Michael Lake: King Penguins. A survey of the series . Penguin Collectors Society 2014, p. 107 (Appendix 5)
  11. ↑ The technique was typical of the 120-volume series of picture books Puffin Picture Books published by Penguin from 1940 to 1965 .
  12. ↑ The publisher's advertising booklet was first published in eight pages at Christmas 1936 and had 9 issues by early 1940 - the edition planned for Christmas 1940 no longer appeared. Due to the war, another 14 advertising brochures were only published again from July 1946 to 1951 (2nd series). A total of 23 Penguins Progress newspapers and brochures were issued, with up to 50,000 readers also receiving advertising from the publisher upon request in addition to deliveries to the book trade (see Penguin First Editions - Penguins Progress website for Penguins Progress magazines ).
  13. ↑ Compare the Penguin First Editions website for the directories .
  14. ↑ Compare the French Wikipedia for the publisher Deberny et Peignot .
  15. ^ Russell Edwards: So much admired. Die Insel Bücherei and The King Penguins ... Salvia 1988, p. 82
  16. ^ Compare the publisher's archives in Bristol.