Penguin Books

Set in the tragic arena of the Middle East conflict, this compelling story of love and torn loyalties plays out against the backdrop of an unwinnable war.

‘Splendid … le Carré shows how endowed he is with the gift of storytelling’ -The Times Aldo Cassidy is a cautious man. He has a pleasant family, drives a safe, expensive car and wears luxurious clothes. But his soothing existence is upended when he meets Shamus and Helen – a dazzling, bohemian couple who are […]

‘We are time. We are this space, this clearing opened by the traces of memory inside the connections between our neurons. We are memory. We are nostalgia. We are longing for a future that will not come’ Time is a mystery that does not cease to puzzle us. Philosophers, artists and poets have long explored […]

‘How could such a book speak so powerfully to our present moment? The short answer is that we, too, live in dark times’ – Washington Post Hannah Arendt’s chilling analysis of the conditions that led to the Nazi and Soviet totalitarian regimes is a warning from history about the fragility of freedom, exploring how propaganda, […]

In Western culture, we have become addicted to positivity. We try to eradicate pain through medication and by insulating ourselves and our children from risk, even though we are the safest generation that ever lived, and often view difficulty as a personal failure. Yet in his research renowned social psychologist Brock Bastian has found that […]

From the bestselling author of The Monk of Mokha and The Circle comes a taut, suspenseful story of two foreigners’ role in a nation’s fragile peace. ‘Tightly written, carefully designed to wrong-foot preconceptions, and astute… An intensely gripping story’ Evening Standard ‘Certainly his best book since What is the What, The Parade may well be the […]

From the bestselling author of The Monk of Mokha and The Circle comes a taut, suspenseful story of two foreigners’ role in a nation’s fragile peace. ‘Tightly written, carefully designed to wrong-foot preconceptions, and astute… An intensely gripping story’ Evening Standard ‘Certainly his best book since What is the What, The Parade may well be the […]

This is a celebration of the Japanese short story from its modern origins in the nineteenth century to remarkable contemporary works. It includes the most well-known Japanese writers – Akutagawa, Murakami, Mishima, Kawabata – but also many surprising new pieces, from Yuko Tsushima’s ‘Flames’ to Banana Yoshimoto’s ‘Bee Honey’. Ranging over myth, horror, love, nature, […]

We are living in a particularly rich period for British short stories. Despite the relative lack of places in which they can be published, the challenge the medium represents has attracted a host of remarkable, subversive, entertaining and innovative writers. Philip Hensher, following the success of his definitive Penguin Book of British Short Stories, has […]

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER ‘Out of the secret world I once knew, I have tried to make a theatre for the larger worlds we inhabit. First comes the imagining, then the search for reality. Then back to the imagining, and to the desk where I’m sitting now.’ From his years serving in British […]

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is Mohsin Hamid’s thrillingly provocative international bestseller, available as a Penguin Essential for the first time. Shortlisted for the Man Booker prize in 2007 Now a major film directed by Mira Nair and starring Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland. ‘Excuse me, sir, but may I be of assistance? Ah, I see I […]

The Return is at once a universal and an intensely personal tale. It is an exquisite meditation on how history and politics can bear down on an individual life. And yet Hisham Matar’s memoir isn’t just about the burden of the past, but the consolation of love, literature and art. It is the story of […]

The Road to Lichfield is the Booker Prize shortlisted first novel by Penelope Lively, published as a Penguin Essential for the first time on the 40th anniversary of its publication. Ann Linton leaves her family in Berkshire and sets up camp in her father’s house when he is taken into a nursing home in distant […]

The beautiful 30th anniversary edition of Tartt’s classic. Truly deserving of the accolade Modern Classic, Donna Tartt’s cult bestseller The Secret History is a remarkable achievement – both compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful.

The beautiful 30th anniversary edition of Tartt’s classic. Truly deserving of the accolade Modern Classic, Donna Tartt’s cult bestseller The Secret History is a remarkable achievement – both compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful.

A tale of bohemian youth on the make in Mexico City from a master of contemporary fiction, and a sublime precursor to The Savage Detectives. Two young poets, Jan and Remo, find themselves adrift in Mexico City. Obsessed with poetry, and, above all, with science fiction, they are eager to forge a life in the […]

This is the story of Yrsa Daley-Ward, and all the things that happened – ‘even the Terrible Things (and God, there were Terrible Things)’. It’s about her childhood in the north-west of England with her beautiful

If you want to succeed in business then an MBA programme is the best way to build expertise, knowledge and experience. But an MBA programme at any top school is an enormous investment in time, effort and money. In The Visual MBA, Jason Barron offers a radical solution, explaining all key business school concepts through […]

The world moves fast, but that doesn’t mean we have to. In this timely guide to mindfulness, Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk born in Korea and educated in the United States, offers advice on everything from handling

Extinction Rebellion are inspiring a whole generation to take action on climate breakdown. Now you can become part of the movement – and together, we can make history.It’s time. This is our last chance to do anything about the global climate and ecological emergency. Our last chance to save the world as we know it. […]

The first part of John le Carré’s acclaimed Karla Trilogy, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy sees the beginning of the stealthy Cold War cat-and-mouse game between the taciturn, dogged George Smiley and his wily Soviet counterpart. A mole, implanted by Moscow Centre, has infiltrated the highest ranks of the British Intelligence Service, almost destroying it in […]

Her name means sadness, yet Tristessa, a prostitute and morphine addict, lives without cares in her shabby room with a menagerie of pets and an altar to the Virgin Mary. Based on Jack Kerouac’s own real-life love affair in Mexico city, this is the story of a man’s ill-fated relationship with a woman he portrays […]

Twilight is the haunting novel by Nobel Peace prize-winning author Elie Wiesel, available as a Penguin Essential for the first time. Raphael Lipkin hears voices and talks to ghosts. Spending the summer at the Mountain Clinic, a New York psychiatric hospital, he is not a patient but rather a visiting professional with a secret, highly […]

John Berger’s writings on photography are some of the most original of the twentieth century. This selection contains many groundbreaking essays and previously uncollected pieces written for…..

A soldier falls asleep on duty and is threatened with being court-martialled. An officer lies in mud, fighting for his life and the life of his men. A young man walks across Waterloo Bridge, explosives in his rucksack, heart pounding. In this powerfully moving book, Faulks shows us the true face of war. These are […]

Based on the BBC television series, John Berger’s Ways of Seeing is a unique look at the way we view art, published as part of the Penguin on Design series in Penguin Modern Classics. ‘Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak.’ ‘But there is also another sense in which seeing comes before words. […]

Climate crisis is the single biggest threat to human survival. And it is happening right now. We all understand that time is running out – but do we truly believe it

The long-awaited and lovingly told story of Andrew, George and their time together as WHAM! Wham! were the band that never underestimated the power of pop, nor the healing powers it possessed. In 1981, what started out as a boyhood friendship, catapulted two suburban adolescents to worldwide pop domination, becoming icons of their era. While […]

Zadie Smith’s White Teeth is a classic international bestseller and an unforgettable portrait of London, available as a Penguin Essential for the first time. One of the most talked about fictional debuts ever, White Teeth is a funny, generous, big-hearted novel, adored by critics and readers alike. Dealing – among many other things – with […]

Read the internationally bestselling book before you watch the major movie from Lionsgate, starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. This special edition is complete with exclusive behind-the-scenes content. The unforgettable and life-affirming story of August Pullman – a boy who’s desperate to blend in, but is destined to stand out. ‘My name is August. I […]

Bob Slocum is anxious, bored and fearful of his job. So why is it he wants nothing more than the chance to speak at the next company convention? In this darkly satirical book, Joseph Heller takes us for a turn on the maddening hamster wheel of work. Heller’s workplace is a cradle of paranoia, bravado […]

Drawing on centuries of wisdom, renowned Zen Buddhist priest Shunmyo Masuno applies the essence of Zen to modern life in clear, practical, easily adopted lessons–one a day for 100 days. Discover the secrets to a calmer, more joyful life: * Understand uchimizu: conveying your true intentions without asserting them * Welcome a Zen mindset into […]