Today we take books for granted, regardless in what form or genre they come. But that wasn’t always the case.
The Book Industry
China printed the first book on paper in 868 AD. Several hundred years later, Joahannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith, developed the first moveable type in Europe. His invention revolutionized the printing industry, and by the end of the fifteenth century, more than twenty million books had been produced in countries throughout Europe.
These books were good literature, worthy of being printed as hardback books. But hardback books were both expensive and heavy, and only the wealthy could afford to own them.
Did You Know…
- In 1455, Joahannes Gutenberg supposedly created only 180 copies of the “Gutenberg” Bible, 135 printed on paper and 45 printed on vellum. Today, only 21 complete copies are known to exist.
- The discovery of Chlorine in 1744 played an important role in book history. Modern paper is bleached with chlorine to give it a nice clean white look.
- In 1832, the first detachable paper book jackets were created and used.
Cheap Novels
Paperback books were developed in the early nineteenth century. More people were learning to read, and the need for inexpensive books was growing. These books were printed on cheap “pulp” paper, so they didn’t cost much to produce, and were rewrites or reprints of mainly Gothic thriller or Crime genre books. They were light and easy to carry, but poor quality, both because they were inexpensive and because the stories weren’t considered “good” literature. The British called them “penny dreadfuls,” because they only cost a penny. In America they were known as “dime novels.”
Did You Know…
- In England, stories based on real-life Highwayman Dick Turpin, called Black Bess or Knight of the Road, was one of the most popular penny dreadful series.
- Readers in England also liked American pulp stories of the wild west. Tales of Deadwood Dick and Buffalo Bill delighted penny dreadful audiences.
- The success of the paperback mass market seen in the twentieth and twenty-first century can thank those early penny dreadfuls and dime novels.
The Plan
Hardback books were expensive. How expensive? Back in the 1930s, gas costs ten cents a gallon (Wouldn’t that be nice today!) But that hardback book you were thinking of buying? It costs $2.75. That’s 27.5 times as much as your gas. So how does that translate into today’s world? Let’s say a gallon of gas costs you $3.50. If that hardback book is 27.5 time as much, it’ll cost you $96.25! Wow! Not many of us could or would pay that!
Now, understanding how expensive a hardback book was, it’s easy to imagine why, in the middle of the depression, hardback books weren’t selling well and many publishing houses were going under. That was the problem Allen Lane, Chairman of Bodley Head, a respectable English publishing house, faced. Then he had an unexpected—and some might say unacceptable—idea to save the business: sell paperback books!
The Birth of Penguin
To us, selling paperback books sounds like a great idea, but back then it was unimaginable. The paperback, or pulp novel, was considered trashy and lurid, with poor-quality content. In a word, cheap. Allen Lane planned to change the paperback’s reputation. Instead of “low brow” works, he purchased the publishing rights to ten “high class” books. Lane’s plan worked. He raised both quality and quantity, while decreasing production costs. At ten cents each, Penguin’s good books were small, lightweight, and, most importantly, affordable.
Did You Know…
- The first ten paperback books Penguin published were The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, Madame Claire by Susan Ertz, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, Poets Pub by Eric Linklater, Carnival by Compton Mackenzie, Ariel by Andre Maurois, Twenty-Five by Beverly Nichols, The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers, Gone to Earth by Mary Webb, and William by E.H. Young.
- Penguin’s simple book cover design focused on brand rather than title and author. With clear typography and color coding, the covers departed from earlier paperbacks’ bright, garish, and gaudy designs.
- At Lane’s direction, a secretary sketched a penguin at a local zoo for his company’s new logo.
- To save money, Penguin printed 20,000 books at a time.
- Woolsworths purchased 63,000 penguin books and sold out within two days!
- Penguin sold over three million books in 1936.
- Only two years after Penguin Books began, they started their first imprint, Pelican books.
- Because of paper shortages, WWII hurt the book industry in general. However, Penguin thrived. According to historical reports, soldiers carried the popular Penguin books in the bag with their gas mask.
The Result
Thanks to Allen Lane’s vision to make the paperback book affordable and respectable, books of all genres became available to everyone. Even in the twenty-first century with its increasing e-book market, paperbacks remain the most popular kind of book. As a result, National Paperback Book Day is celebrated every July 30, on the anniversary of the date in 1935 when Penguin’s first ten paperbacks marched onto the scene in England.