The Penguin Essentials are some of the twentieth-century's most important books. When they were first published they changed the way we thought about literature and about life. And they have remained vital reading ever since.
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» Buy Lucky Jim
''His mouth had been used as a latrine by some small creature of the night, and then as a mausoleum. During the night, too, he'd somehow been on a cross-country run and then been expertly beaten up by secret police. He felt bad.'
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
Artist ~ Luke PearsonLuke Pearson was born in 1987 and studied illustration at Loughborough University. Since graduating in 2010 he has been working full time as an illustrator and comics artist. He is the writer and artist of the graphic novella Everything We Miss and the all-ages comic Hilda and The Midnight Giant, both published by Nobrow Press. He can be found at www.lukepearson.com
» Read more about Lucky Jim
» Visit Luke Pearson's website -
» Buy Junky
'Junk is not, like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment of life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life'
Junky by William S. Burroughs
Artist ~ Martha RichMartha Rich was born in Maine in 1963. After working in corporate cubicle jobs for 15 years in Atlanta and Los Angeles, she quit and went back to school to study illustration at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. She currently lives in Philadelphia and recently received an MFA in Painting from the University of Pennsylvania. Working professionally as a freelance commercial and fine artist, she also teaches at Tyler School of Art and University of the Arts. www.martharich.com
» Read more about Junky
» Visit Martha Rich's website -
» Buy In Cold Blood
'Dick became convinced that Perry was that rarity, 'a natural killer'-absolutely sane, but conscienceless, and capable of dealing, with or without motive, the coldest-blooded deathblows'
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Artist ~ Nathan BurtonNathan Burton was born in Harrow in 1974. He studied graphic design and illustration at The University of Northumbria, graduating in 1998. His first job in design was at Bloomsbury Publishing where he worked for 5 years before becoming a senior designer at Penguin. In 2008 he left Penguin to set up his own company. His website is www.nathanburtondesign.com.
» Read more about In Cold Blood
» Visit Nathan Burton's website -
» Buy Heart of Darkness
The reaches opened before us and closed behind, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.'
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Artist ~ Maria RivansMaria Rivans is a UK artist, living and working in Brighton. Graduating from Brighton Art College in 1986 with a BA (Hons) in 3-Dimensional Design, she is best known for her intricate, humorous and eye-popping surreal Landscape, Portrait and 3D collages. Maria exhibits widely across the UK as well as overseas including New York and Singapore. In 2010 she was a finalist in the Aesthetica Creative Works competition. Her website is www.mariarivans.com.
» Read more about Heart of Darkness
» Visit Maria Rivans's website -
» Buy The Diary of a Nobody
'I fail to see Ð because I do not happen to be a "Somebody" Ð why my diary should be not be interesting'
The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith and Weedon Grossmith
Artist ~ SupermundaneSupermundane is the nom de plume of Rob Lowe an artist, art director, typographer and occasional writer. Born in the Midlands of England in 1971, his mesmeric abstract drawings have been published and exhibited worldwide. He is the creative director of alternative children's magazine Anorak and art director of food quarterly Fire & Knives. He lives and works in London and owns more instruments than he can play. www.supermundane.com
» Read more about The Diary of a Nobody
» Visit Supermundane's website -
» Buy The The Thin Man
'When I opened my eyes and sat up in bed Nora was shaking me and a man with a gun in his hand was standing in the bedroom doorway.'
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
Artist ~ Ben JonesBen Jones graduated from Stockport College, a small and highly creative place. He lives and works in Manchester and has completed numerous commissions for magazines, book publishing and advertising. He won a competition to illustrate the cover of his favourite book 1984, and has a passion for anything surreal. www.benjonesillustration.com
» Read more about The Thin Man
» Visit Ben Jones's website -
» Buy The Three Men in a Boat
'Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.'
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
Artist ~ Jonny HannahJonny Hannah, from the kingdom of Fife, studied Illustration at Liverpool Art School & the Royal College of Art. His many clients include The New York Times, Penguin Books & The St. Kilda Courier. He is now the Illustration course leader at Southampton Solent School of Art & Design, and in his spare time runs the Cakes & Ale press, a cottage industry producing wondrous printed ephemera.
» Read more about Three Men in a Boat -
» Buy Dubliners
Snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves.'
Dubliners by James Joyce
Artist ~ Apfel ZetApfel Zet, established in 1997, is a Berlin-located studio with a special focus on ornamental and vintage design. The three designers Jarek Sierpinski, and Roman and Julia Bittner studied design and illlustration at the Academie of Fine Arts in Stuttgart. They work for several different clients, mostly from the cultural sector, and have exhibited at the well-known Illustrative Festival. Their website is www.apfelzet.de
» Read more about Dubliners
» Apfel Zet's website -
» Buy The Periodic Table
'So it happens, therefore, that every element says something to someone'
The Periodic Table by Primo Levi
Artist ~ Graphic Thought FacilityGraphic Thought Facility is a London-based design consultancy. Established in 1990, GTF work with retailers, manufacturers, publishers, cultural institutions and galleries around the world. Recent commissions and collaborations include store environments for M&S, exhibition design for the Victoria and Albert Museum, books for Gagosian Gallery, work for Vitra and art directing campaigns for Kvadrat and Frieze Art Fair. Their website can be found at www.graphicthoughtfacility.com.
» Read more about The Periodic Table
» Graphic Thought Facility website -
» Buy Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
'Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life . . .'
Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
Artist ~ Sarah WattsSarah Watts is an illustrator/surface designer whose work has appeared on goods such as books, gig posters and clothing. She also has her own fabric collections with Blend Fabrics. Sarah is an Illustration Alumni and Board of Trustee member of Ringling College of Art and Design. Before pursuing the life of an illustrator, Sarah designed children's apparel at Carter's/OshKosh and stationery at International Greetings. She lives in Atlanta with her husband Scott. Her website can be found at www.wattsalot.com
» Read more about Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
» Visit Sarah Watts's website -
» Buy Mrs Dalloway
'She had a perpetual sense, as she watched the taxi cabs, of being out, out, far out to sea and alone; she always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day.'
Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Artist ~ Leanne ShaptonLeanne Shapton is the co-founder of J&L Books, a non-profit imprint specializing in art and photography books, and is the author of Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry, The Native Trees of Canada and Was She Pretty?. Shapton has contributed work to The New York Times, The New Yorker and Elle magazine . She has recently completed Swimming Studies, a book about life as a swimmer, for The Penguin Press. Her website can be found at www.leanneshapton.com.
» Read more about Mrs Dalloway
» Visit Leanne Shapton's website -
» Buy Breakfast at Tiffany's
'What I've found does the most good is just to get into a taxi and go to Tiffany's. It calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there, not with those kind men in their nice suits...'
Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
Artist ~ Robert Lee and Mark McDevittRobert Lee and Mark McDevitt are co-partners at Methane Studios, based in Atlanta. Their work has appeared in publications including Print, Communication Arts, How, Art of Modern Rock, Gig Posters and Masters of Poster Design. They have created screenprints and illustrations for a wide variety of musicians, such as The Black Keys, Dave Matthews Band, Iron and Wine, Morrissey and Eric Clapton, and recently exhibited at the Savannah College of Art.
» Read more about Breakfast at Tiffany's
» Visit Robert Lee and Mark McDevitt's website -
» Buy Lady Chatterley's Lover
'Connie was aware, however, of a growing restlessness?It thrilled inside her body, in her womb, somewhere, till she felt she must jump into water and swim to get away from it; a mad restlessness. It made her heart beat violently for no reason...'
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Artist ~ Lucy McLauchlanLucy McLauchlan is a British artist who has exhibited in galleries, museums and underground events around the world. Her work focuses on improvised painting incorporating found objects into sculptures and murals. With artwork in many private collections, including the permanent collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and murals covering buildings around the world, she recently featured in The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art.
» Read more about Lady Chatterley's Lover
» Visit Lucy McLauchlan's website -
» Buy Steppenwolf
'The unhappiness that I need and long for... is of the kind that will let me suffer with eagerness and die with lust. That is the unhappiness, or happiness, that I am waiting for.'
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
Artist ~ RipoRipo is an artist who has left his calligraphic wordplay on city walls, remote villages and abandoned structures across three continents. He has exhibited both illegally and legally in more than thirty-six countries, including shows in New York, São Paulo, Bucharest and London. He grew up in New York City and now lives in Barcelona.
» Read more about Steppenwolf
» Visit Ripo's website -
» Buy Out of Africa
'I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills... Up in this high air you breathed easily... you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be.'
Out of Africa by Karen Blixen
Artist ~ David GentlemanDavid Gentleman is a watercolourist, wood engraver, lithographer and designer of postage stamps and a platform-length mural on the London Underground. Some of his first commissions were for Penguin covers. He has travelled widely, writing and illustrating his own books on Britain, London, Paris, Italy and India, and has had many exhibitions of watercolours and lithographs. He lives in London.
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» Buy A Clockwork Orange
'What we were after was lashings of ultraviolence'
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Artist ~ Kristian HammerstadKristian Hammerstad is a trained illustrator and self-taught animator. He began his career working in commercial animation in the United Kingdom, and now works mainly as an illustrator. His work has recently appeared in magazines and online for clients including the New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine and AOL. Kristian lives in his native Oslo, Norway.
» Read more about A Clockwork Orange
» Visit Kristian Hammerstad's website
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» Buy My Family and Other Animals
'What we all need,' said Larry, 'is sunshine?a country where we can grow.' 'Yes, dear, that would be nice,' agreed Mother, not really listening. 'I had a letter from George this morning - he says Corfu's wonderful. Why don't we pack up and go to Greece?'
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Artist ~ Brian CairnsBrian Cairns is an award-winning illustrator whose clients include Ridley Scott Associates, United Airlines, The New York Times, Channel 4 and Nike. Recent commissions include a hotel wrap 200 feet long and twelve stories high for Hyatt's famous West Hollywood Hotel on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles. He lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland.
» Read more about My Family and Other Animals
» Visit Brian Cairns' website -
» Buy The Great Gatsby
'There was music from my neighbour's house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.'
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Artist ~ Anders NilsenAnders Nilsen is an artist and author who studied painting and installation at the University of New Mexico and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work includes the graphic novels Don't Go Where I Can't Follow (which was awarded the Ignatz Award) and Dogs and Water, and he has also created book covers for The Odyssey, God is Dead and Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales.
» Read more about The Great Gatsby
» Visit Anders Nilsen's website -
» Buy A Room With A View
'You love the boy body and soul, plainly, directly, as he loves you...'
A Room With A View by E.M. Forster
Artist ~ Chris Silas NealChris Silas Neal is an award-winning illustrator and designer, whose work has appeared in a variety of magazines, books and on television. He is currently working on a children's book to be published in 2011 by Chronicle Books. He lives and works in Brooklyn and teaches Illustration at Pratt Institute.
» Read more about A Room With A View
» Visit Chris Silas Neal's website -
» Buy Cold Comfort Farm
'We are not like other folk, maybe, but there have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm...'
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Artist ~ Mark HearldMark Hearld was born in York in 1974. He studied illustration at Glasgow College of Art and then completed a Natural History Illustration MA at the Royal College of Art. He works across a number of mediums, producing limited edition lithographic and linocut prints, unique paintings, collages and hand-painted ceramics.
» Read more about Cold Comfort Farm -
» Buy Goodbye To All That
'There has been a lot of fighting hereabouts. The trenches have made themselves rather than been made, and run inconsequently in and out of the big thirty-foot high stacks of bricks; it is most confusing.'
Goodbye To All That by Robert Graves
Artist ~ Kate GibbKate Gibb is a silkscreen artist based in London who studied at Middlesex University and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. She has created sleeve artwork for many musicians including the Chemical Brothers, Kate Nash, Sonny J, the Magic Numbers and Simian, and has also worked with fashion brands such as Dries Van Noten, Levis and Stussy. Editorially she has contributed to Wired, Creative Review, the Observer and the Japanese publications +81, Relax and Idea.
» Read more about Goodbye To All That
» Visit Kate Gibb's blog -
» Buy Eva Luna
'My name is Eva, which means "life"... I was born in the back room of a shadowy house, and grew up amidst ancient furniture, books in Latin, and human mummies, but none of those things made me melancholy, because I came into the world with a breath of the jungle in my memory.'
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
Artist ~ Elsa MoraElsa Mora is an award-winning multimedia artist born in Cuba. Her work has featured in a number of publications including The New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Los Angeles Times and ARTnews. She is the author of a book, Blossom Buddies, and the popular blog Elsita. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children.
» Read more about Eva Luna
» Visit Elsa Mora's blog -
» Buy On the Road
'What's your road, man? - holyboy road, madman road, rainbow road, guppy road, any road. It's an anywhere road for anybody anyhow.'
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Artist ~ Stephen ShoreStephen Shore is an American photographer who is known for his pioneering use of colour in art photography.
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» Buy Lolita
'Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of my tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.'
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Artist ~ Kathryn MacnaughtonKathryn Macnaughton is an illustrator and artist who lives and works in Toronto. She is a graduate of Ontario College of Art and Design whose work has appeared in magazines and on album covers. Most recently her work was exhibited at Brooklynite Gallery in New York. She was also accepted into the American Illustration annual.
» Read more about Lolita
» Visit Kathryn Macnaughton's website. -
» Buy Wide Sargasso Sea
'There is no looking glass here and I don't know what I am like now... Now they have taken everything away. What am I doing in this place and who am I?'
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Artist ~ Jeff FisherJeff Fisher is an illustrator, designer and author. He has created more than 1,000 book covers; written two books: How to Get Rich and The Hair Scare; and most recently illustrated Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark for the Folio Society. For the past eight years he has been working for the Festa Literária Internacional de Paraty (FLIP) in Brazil. An Australian, he lives in France.
» Read more about Wide Sargasso Sea -
» Buy Bonjour Tristesse
'Late into the night we talked of love, of its complications. In my father's eyes they were imaginary... This conception of rapid, violent and passing love affairs appealed to my imagination. I was not at the age when fidelity is attractive. I knew very little about love.'
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
Artist ~ AllCity MediaAllCity Media was established in 2000 with the goal of blending memorable design and film marketing. Award-winning campaigns include the Screen International Best Poster Award winner I am Love and Golden Trailer Awards winner Man on Wire, along with other notable campaigns such as Let Me In, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Control and This is England.
» Read more about Bonjour Tristesse
» Visits AllCity Media's website -
» Buy Hell's Angels
'A phalanx of motorcycles came roaring over the hill from the west? the noise was like a landslide, or a wing of bombers passing over... It was like Genghis Khan, Morgan's Raiders, the Wild One and the Rape of Nanking all at once.'
Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson
Artist ~ Dominique HolmesDominique Holmes is a tattooist and artist from London whose work has been exhibited across the UK and has appeared on clothing, books and album covers. She studied Art and Design in Manchester and has been based at the Family Business Tattoo Studio in London since 2007.
» Read more about Hell's Angels -
» Buy A Confederacy of Dunces
'This city is famous for its gamblers, prostitutes, exhibitionists, anti-Christs, alcoholics, sodomites, drug addicts, fetishists, onanists, pornographers, frauds, jades, litterbugs, and lesbians... don't make the mistake of bothering me.'
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Artist ~ Gary TaxaliGary Taxali is an award-winning illustrator, artist and toy designer whose work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers. He is the author of a children's book, This is Silly!, the creator of the cover art for the Aimee Mann album @#%&*! Smilers, which earned him a 2009 Grammy Award Nomination, and a founding member of the Illustrators' Partnership of America. He lives and works in Toronto.
» Read more about A Confederacy of Dunces
» Visit Gary Taxali's website -
» Buy Cat's Cradle
'All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies.'
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Artist ~ ParraParra is a self-taught artist and illustrator whose work has been exhibited all over the world. He has won numerous awards including the Dutch Design Award for Illustration 2010 and the Amsterdam Award of Arts 2010. Parra also plays with the electronic band Le Le and is co-owner of the New Wave clothing label Rockwell. He lives and works in Amsterdam.
» Read more about Cat's Cradle -
» Buy Brideshead Revisited
'I knew Sebastian by sight long before I met him. That was unavoidable for, from his first week, he was the most conspicuous man of his year by reason of his beauty, which was arresting, and his eccentricities of behaviour, which seemed to know no bounds.'
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Artist ~ Jim TierneyJim Tierney grew up in Pennsylvania and studied illustration at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. After graduating in 2010 he moved to New York to work as a book cover designer for Penguin US, and in 2011 was chosen as one of Print magazine's 'Top 20 under 30' designers. He currently lives in Brooklyn.
» Read more about Brideshead Revisited
» Visit Jim Tierney's website
Video interviews
The Penguin Essentials bring together incredible stories and breathtaking designs. Check out these interviews with the editorial and design teams for a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the process of putting together this stunning collection.
Editor of the Penguin Essentials, Jenny Lord, talks about what makes these books vital reading.
Penguin designers, Richard Bravery and Andrew Smith, have a chat about the artists involved in the Penguin Essentials.
Design Blog
A fresh approach to cover design ~ Richard Bravery
Classic (backlist) books generally take the cover approach of marrying the period of the book with the aesthetic of the age. So a 20's book is generally twinned with Deco styling/artists. But with the Essentials we wanted, where possible, to break away from that approach... keep reading on the Penguin Blog
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