Penguin 80s …

Little Black Classics

Gosh Penguin is 80!

They’ve produced a lovely set of 80 little black penguin classics books priced at 80p each to celebrate, plus a lovely website to go with it.

I desperately want to collect the whole series naturally, but I’m going to be strong and just pick a few to treasure, which will probably include Hans Christian Andersen left – although I probably have The Tinderbox in several other collections of his tales already.

But, I have a problem…

You see, back when Penguin was 60, they produced a three series of 60 books all at 60p.  You can see the full list here.

60 orange spines, 60 black classic spines, and 60 other titles comprising 10 biography, 10 cookery, 10 travel and 30 children’s titles.  Ever the collector, I own about 135 out of 180 of these including the full original orange and black sets – (which I collected individually from bookshops – not knowing that boxed sets would be available and which I would have snapped up to save having to buy them separately and store in shoeboxes).

Phoenix books also produced a copycat set of 30 little black classics which I own.

Then Penguin published a set of 50 small volumes of Penguin Modern Classics to celebrate that imprint’s 50th anniverary (these were pricey though at £3 each) but I blogged about them here.  I ended up just buying a handful of these.

So my collection of these little classics now looks like this:

Guess how many of them I’ve physically read?

Just 2! – which are those in my Modern Classics review linked to above.

I shall be disposing of the Phoenix set, and the little Penguins will go back into their shoeboxes for now, surely to be joined by a few of the Little Black Classic 80s.

I have always loved Penguin books (and their Puffin and Pelican imprints) though and always search for orange, black and white spines in bookshops.

Long Live Penguin!

10 thoughts on “Penguin 80s …

  1. kaggsysbookishramblings says:

    What lovely little piles of books! I confess to having succumbed to several Little Black Classics but am trying to make sure I only buy ones I *really* want to read – I’m sure I won’t collect them all (she says hopefully……)

  2. crimeworm says:

    I used to obsessively buy the green “Notable Trials” series, which were always a bit old and battered. I love the colour coordination, though – so simple, yet looks great on a bookshelf…I’ve still got lots of Puffin books at my mum and dad’s, from my childhood, too! And I hate it when they redesign a series to relaunch them!

  3. Alex says:

    I came across these in Waterstones over the weekend and had to talk to myself severely before walking out empty handed. There is no room in our house for new books until I have got rid of some of those we already have!

  4. Alice says:

    You have quite the collection! I was tempted to buy more LBCs, but I settled on six. I just don’t think I would read them all either if I bought more.

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