Penguin Books

The book that influenced writers from Carl Sagan to Stephen Hawking, Flatland is set in a two-dimensional world where life exists only in lines and shapes – until one of its inhabitants, ‘A. Square’, has his perspective transformed forever. This brilliantly eccentric classic is an invitation to see beyond our own reality. ‘At once a […]

In her stunning debut novel Catherine Menon traces one family’s story from 1920 to the present, unravelling a thrilling tale of love, betrayal and redemption against the backdrop of natural disasters and fallen empires.

Discover the tales behind the ties in Stephen Fry’s witty companion to our most distinguished accessory, the perfect gift for the tie-wearer in your life. ‘A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life’ Oscar Wilde ‘What do ties matter, Jeeves, at a time like this?’ ‘There is no time, sir, at which ties […]

Nina Dean has arrived at her early thirties as a successful food writer with loving friends and family, plus a new home and neighbourhood. When she meets Max, a beguiling romantic hero who tells her on date one that he’s going to marry her, it feels like all is going to plan. A new relationship […]

Once upon a time, not very far from now, two children come home to find a line of wet red paint round the outside of their house . . .

So begins the freewheeling and urgent new novel from Ali Smith

Every relationship has one beginning. This one has two endings. Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can’t work out why she stopped. Now he is. . . 1. Without a home 2. Waiting for his stand-up career to take off 3. Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn’t […]

‘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. The parapet of a trench which we don’t occupy is built up with ammunition boxes and corpses . . .’ […]

From the night she is rescued as a baby out of the flames of a sinking ship; to the day she joins a pair of daredevil pilots looping and diving over the rugged forests of her childhood, to the thrill of flying Spitfires during the war, the life of Marian Graves has always been marked by a lust for freedom and danger.

Cosy up with a classic and enjoy your cuppa from this Great Expectations mug, featuring Charles Dickens’ funny, frightening and psychologically gripping portrayal of the orphan Pip’s journey of self-discovery. Product Information: -White porcelain -Dishwasher and microwave safe -900mm height x 800mm diameter -240g weight -Packaged in a corrugated cardboard presentation gift box -Designed in London, made in […]

A spellbinding selection of short stories in the original Italian alongside their English translations. This new dual-language edition of ten stories selected from The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories celebrates some of the very best twentieth-century literature from Italy. Each story appears in the original Italian alongside an expert English translation, providing unique cultural insight and […]

A captivating selection of short stories in the original Japanese alongside their English translations. This new dual-language edition of ten stories selected from The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories celebrates some of the very best Japanese literature from the past hundred years. Each story appears in the original Japanese alongside an expert English translation, providing unique […]

A riveting selection of short stories in Spanish alongside their English translations. This new dual-language edition of ten stories selected from The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories celebrates some of the very best twentieth-century literature from Spain. Each story appears in Spanish alongside an expert English translation, providing unique cultural insight and literary inspiration for language […]

In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice. Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing his sight.

In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice. Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing his sight.

‘At turns hilarious and wise, another knockout from the champ’ Taylor Jenkins Reid, DAISY JONES AND THE SIX ‘One of my favourite authors’ Colleen Hoover, IT ENDS WITH US ‘Smart, sunny, sexy and also a gorgeous story of female friendship‘ Beth O’Leary, THE FLATSHARE —– Two exes. One pact. Could this holiday change everything? Harriet and Wyn are the […]

Renowned American photographer Sally Mann crafts an extraordinary memoir that is as much a meditation on art and creativity as it is a deep exploration of family and heritage. Through lyrical prose and evocative imagery, Hold Still reveals the intimate and often turbulent stories behind Mann’s work, shaped by the landscapes and histories of the […]

Ranging all the way from Aaron’s Rod to Zuleika Dobson, via The Devil Rides Out and Middlemarch, literary connoisseur and sleuth John Sutherland offers his very personal guide to

What was Pol Pot eating while two million Cambodians were dying of hunger? Did Idi Amin really eat human flesh? And why was Fidel Castro obsessed with one particular cow? Traveling across four continents, from the ruins of Iraq to the savannahs of Kenya, Witold Szablowski tracked down the personal chefs of five dictators known […]

Illuminating reflections on painting and drawing from one of the most revered artists of the twentieth century. ‘Thank God for yellow ochre, cadmium red medium, and permanent green light’ How does a painter see the world? Philip Guston, one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, spoke about art with unparalleled candour and […]

Penguin Books is reviving the iconic Penguin Modern Classics ‘Crime and Espionage’ series, first published 75 years ago. Featuring John le Carré, Georges Simenon, Josephine Tey, Edogawa Rampo and more, these iconic paperbacks celebrate the

Deeply personal and powerfully moving, a short and timely series of essays on the experience of lockdown, by one of the most clear-sighted and essential writers of our time

A rich, magical novel from the Booker-shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World – now a top ten Sunday Times bestsellerIt is 1974 on the island of Cyprus

‘Bernie Sanders has changed US politics forever’ Owen Jones. It’s OK to be angry about capitalism. It’s OK to want something better. Bernie Sanders takes on the 1% and speaks blunt truths about a system that is fuelled by uncontrolled greed, and rigged against ordinary people. Where a handful of oligarchs have never had it […]

Penguin Books is reviving the iconic Penguin Modern Classics ‘Crime and Espionage’ series, first published 75 years ago. Featuring John le Carré, Georges Simenon, Josephine Tey, Edogawa Rampo and more, these iconic paperbacks celebrate the

‘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’ William Burroughs, legendary drug addict, founder member of the Beats and author of Naked Lunch, relates with unflinching realism the addict’s life: from initial heroin bliss to an unabated hunger for […]

‘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 Constance Chatterley is trapped in a loveless marriage to a man […]

‘It wasn’t me. I didn’t do it. And I’ll never do it again!’ says Brian Johnson of The Lives of Brian. That AC/DC’s legendary front man got to do it all is one of the most cheering and entertaining stories in rock ‘n’roll history. The son of a British army sergeant-major and Italian mother, Brian […]

‘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.’ Humbert Humbert is a middle-aged, frustrated college professor. In love with his landlady’s twelve-year-old daughter Lolita, he’ll […]

‘A monumental work filled with first-person accounts of the master’s life and a dizzying array of never-before heard details’ Michael Imperioli, author of The Perfume Burned His Eyes The most complete and penetrating biography of the rock master, whose stature grows every year. Since his death ten years ago, Lou Reed’s living presence has only […]

Fifty-one years have passed since Fermina rebuffed Florentino and married Juvenal Urbino instead. Swearing his love to her, he lives for the day when he can court her again. When Fermina’s husband is killed, Florentino seizes his chance to declare his enduring love. But can young love find new life in the twilight of their […]

‘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.’ Jix Dixon has a terrible job at a second-rate university. His life […]

In March 2020 Lucy’s ex-husband William pleads with her to leave New York and escape to a coastal house he has rented in Maine. Lucy reluctantly agrees, leaving the washing-up in the sink, expecting to be back in a week or two. Weeks turn into months, and it’s just Lucy, William, and their complex past […]

Penguin Books is reviving the iconic Penguin Modern Classics ‘Crime and Espionage’ series, first published 75 years ago. Featuring John le Carré, Georges Simenon, Josephine Tey, Edogawa Rampo and more, these iconic paperbacks celebrate the

‘This honest, engaging memoir shares such gems . . . the perfect read for anyone who dreams big’ The Times and Sunday Times, Books of the Year The powerful, urgent memoir and manifesto on never giving up from Booker prize-winning trailblazer, Bernardine Evaristo In 2019, Bernardine Evaristo became the first black woman to win the Booker Prize since its inception […]

SHORTLISTED FOR THE LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE For fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, a richly atmospheric debut about lost innocence and rural America… ‘Remarkable. This novel reads like a miracle’ NPR ‘Brimming with longing, with heartbreak’ New York Times Jude is popular, beautiful, wealthier than most in Deep […]

It is hard to overstate Art Spiegelman’s effect on postwar American culture. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author is one of our most influential contemporary artists, and his masterpiece Maus

For thousands of years, mending was a deep craft that has for too long been a secret history. But now it’s back, bigger and better than ever. In this book Kate Sekules introduces the art of visible mending as part of an important movement to give fashion back its soul. Part manifesto, part how-to, MEND! […]

A gripping account of one man’s ten year expedition from a village in West Africa to the Arctic Circle. Scorching heat, rich, fertile soil, and treacherous snakes marked the landscape in which Tété-Michel grew up in 1950s Togo, West Africa. When he discovered a book on Greenland as a teen, this distant land became an […]

Misfits is a triumphant call for honesty, empathy and inclusion. This timely, necessary book is a rousing coming-to-power manifesto dedicated to anyone who has ever worried about fitting in.

Booker Prize-winner Marlon James once again draws on a rich tradition of African mythology and fantasy to imagine a mythic world, a lost child, a 177-year-old witch and a mystery with many answers

A decade ago, Caitlin Moran thought she had it all figured out. Her instant bestseller How to Be a Woman was a game-changing take on feminism, the patriarchy, and the general ‘hoo-ha’ of becoming a woman. Back then, she firmly believed ‘the difficult bit’ was over, and her forties were going to be a doddle. […]

Richly expansive and deeply moving, an intimate novel of secret lives and painful histories from one of the finest storytellers we have ‘This brilliant novel examines lives lived, losses accumulated, and the slipperiness of perception. Yiyun Li writes deeply, drolly, and with elegance about history, even as it’s happening. She is one of my favorite […]

‘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?’ ‘Very well, dear, if you like,’ said Mother unguardedly. Escaping […]

Khaled and Mustafa meet at university in Edinburgh: two Libyan eighteen-year-olds expecting to return home after their studies. In a moment of recklessness and courage, they travel to London to join a demonstration in front of

‘Comforting and cosy for the heart and soul’ Fearne Cotton ‘This book will help you make your home somewhere you feel comfortable, safe and calm’ Emma Guns A gorgeous guide to the Danish art of creating a cosy, happy home from the internationally bestselling author, Meik Wiking. Our homes should be a place of comfort, a place […]

‘One of the most original comic novels of the past half century’ The New Yorker ‘Will leave you so giddy you’ll go and kick sand in somebody’s face’ Houston Post Perfect for fans of A Confederacy of Dunces, this is Robert Plunket’s comic masterpiece: a breakneck, unhinged romp through 1980’s LA Eliot Weiner – snob, shameless opportunist, Morris dancing-obsessive […]

Who was Gertrude Stein? Avant-garde American poet and art collector who made her home in Paris, godmother of modernism, queer icon, friend to Picasso and Hemingway, self-declared genius — a writer who has baffled readers and critics for a century. And why does she matter? The narrator of Deborah Levy’s latest, dazzling fiction has gone […]

The bestselling French graphic novel about the mind-bending world of quantum physics Take an incredible journey through the quantum universe with explorer Bob and his dog Rick, as they travel through a world of wonders, talk to Einstein about atoms, hang out with Heisenberg on Heligoland and eat crepes with Max Planck. Along the way, […]

On January 8 1960, artist Nat Tate set out to burn his entire life’s work. Four days later he jumped off a Staten Island ferry, killing himself. His body was never found.

Eerie, unsettling and hauntingly beautiful – a new collaboration from the bestselling creators of Holloway, Robert Macfarlane and Stanley Donwood ‘Ness goes beyond what we expect books to do. Beyond poetry, beyond the word, beyond the bomb — it is an aftertime song’ Max Porter, Booker-longlisted author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers Somewhere […]

Japanese fairy tales – enchanting, enigmatic stories of animals, human beings and the great natural world. Dark and innocent, sublime and whimsical, Miyazawa’s stories have the ageless feel of the best fairy tales. There are animal allegories such as ‘The Ungrateful Rat’ where a rude rodent insults all the objects he meets – until he […]

A memoir-in-recipes inspired by Jay Rayner’s quarter of a century at the table, recreating dishes he has loved from high-end restaurants, high street grills, and everything in between ‘For the past twenty-five years, I have been reviewing restaurants across Britain and beyond, from the humblest of diners to the grandest of gastro-palaces. And throughout I’ve […]

The first ever graphic novel adaptation of George Orwell’s timeless dystopia. Winston Smith, an outwardly obedient citizen of Airstrip One, dreams secretly of truth and freedom – but his rebellion will come at a terrible cost. George Orwell’s dark masterpiece has enthralled readers for over seventy years. Now the dystopian world of Big Brother, telescreens, […]

In this deeply personal book, Baldwin reflects on the experiences that shaped him as a writer and activist: from his childhood in Harlem to the deaths Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Exploring the visceral reality of life in the American South as

Nova Scotia House takes us to the heart of a relationship, a community and an era. It is both a love story and a lament; bearing witness to the enduring pain of the AIDS pandemic and

The Pulitzer Prize-winning, Booker-longlisted, bestselling author returns to her beloved heroine Lucy Barton in a luminous novel about love, loss, and the family secrets that can erupt and bewilder us at any point in life

Step into a world that lies behind the ordinary front doors of Britain. A place of loyal wives, obedient children

‘What’s your road, man? – holyboy road, madman road, rainbow road, guppy road, any road. It’s an anywhere road for anybody anyhow.’ Sal Paradise, young and innocent, joins the slightly crazed Dean Moriarty on a breathless, exuberant ride back and forth across the United States. Their hedonistic search for release or fulfilment through drink, sex, […]

On Women brings together Susan Sontag’s most fearless and incisive writing on women, a crucial aspect of her work that has not until now received the attention it deserves. For the most part written in the 1970s during the height of second-wave feminism, Sontag’s essays are strikingly relevant to our contemporary conversations. At times powerfully in […]

On Women brings together Susan Sontag’s most fearless and incisive writing on women, a crucial aspect of her work that has not until now received the attention it deserves. For the most part written in the 1970s during the height of second-wave feminism, Sontag’s essays are strikingly relevant to our contemporary conversations. At times powerfully in […]