The "Popular Penguin" titles (with orange and white covers and all priced $10) were mentioned by me here (and on someone else's blog, I think) a while ago, and it's
good to see that they have been a commercial success. So successful that another 50 titles will be released in July. Yay.
I must say that I went crazy when they were released and bought books I otherwise never would have.
ReplyDeleteI've now got on my shelves: Going Solo by Roald Dahl, The Classical World by Robin Lane Fox, Congo Journey by Redmond O'Hanlon, Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux, Nial Ferguson's Empire, Partridge's Usage and Abusage, Shackleton's South : Endurance expedition, What is History? by E.H. Carr, Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders by Mortimer and On the Road by Kerouac.
Part of the appeal wasn't just the cheap books - it was the archaic minimalist look of the covers.
Oh yes, they look absolutely lovely. The cover has an iconic value that goes beyond the value of most cheap photoshopped covers these days. (Sometimes the publishers don't do more than just go to a database of photos they have access to, pick a photo, and put a title over it.)
ReplyDeleteReaders Digest books have the same 'iconic' look - they go for the traditional bound hardcover feel - though what they publish is just slush.
MCB - I have just finished Congo Journey, and have significant reservations about it, which I might post about here some day.
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