This year marks Penguin’s 90th Birthday. I read on their website that when they started in 1935 they had the idea that, “quality literature should cost no more than a packet of cigarettes.” If you’re interested, a Google search says a packet of cigarettes in 1935 cost around 6d (6p), or 2/6d (two shillings and six pence) for a larger packet which would be about 25p at today’s prices. This was obviously the right starting price as before the first year was over, around 3 million Penguin books were on people’s shelves!
Whilst the price of a packet of cigarettes has gone up substantially since then (to around £13 – £15 a pack), and unfortunately the price of books has gone up too, Penguin are still thriving and following their merger with Random House are now one of the biggest book publishers in the world.
My introduction to books started around 40 years after Penguin began. I lived in Lincolnshire and my parents sold books at agricultural trade shows before opening their own small, independent bookshop in Spalding, Lincolnshire (you can read more about that here). As someone with an already active imagination and a love of learning, having open access to so many books was more than I could dream of. Before I could read independently, books were still a large part of my life and I was regularly read to by my parents and grandparents. My love of reading naturally progressed into a love of words and writing, and stories which usually started, “Once upon a time…” and ended with “happily ever after”. My writing eventually developed beyond fairy tales with a short story published in ‘Jackie’ magazine in 1990, food reviews and other articles written for ‘Viva’ lifestyle magazine a few decades later and then more recently, blogs on a couple of sites I have.
This photograph and the one in the header of this post are from some of the trade shows we did. I was always very keen to have my own little stall to sell books. My early display skills and stall layout might have needed a bit of work but it looks as though I’d had a successful sale here!
As I grew up, my love of reading and passion for books grew with me. I have too many books, I buy too many books and my ‘to be read’ pile doesn’t ever get any smaller. There’s some sort of mystical book exchange going on where as one book leaves the pile, another ‘mysteriously’ replaces it. I will unashamedly bore anyone with random facts I’ve read, summaries of the latest book I’ve just finished or suggest recommendations for their next read. All traits that are perfect for (but not confined to) my monthly book club meeting – held in the local pub of course!
In January this year I think I bought 17 books. In my (feeble) defence, some of these were bought with vouchers I’d been given for Christmas and some with points saved on my Waterstones card. Most of them though came from Asda and The Works and ‘pre-loved’ from online retailer World Of Books. I know how lucky I am to be able to buy books and I don’t treat myself to many things so they are my vice, my addiction. I’ve probably only bought a few books since then and they’ve all been used copies. Books have always given me that feeling of excitement and anticipation – not knowing where they’ll take you and then being desperate to pick them up again to see how they’ll end. Not all books are good books and I don’t always enjoy ones I’ve read but at least I have the opportunity to read a variety. Unfortunately buying books regularly or having access to a variety of books isn’t a luxury everyone has.
Rehoming pre-loved books and selling or thrifting books you’ve finished with is so satisfying. It can help to save money, support charity shops, help others, reduce waste, promote recycling and sustainability and contribute towards a circular economy. Feel good factors everywhere!
Penguin are helping to spread this feel good factor and in a twist on the usual annual gift tradition, this year they’re actually giving gifts to others on their birthday! To celebrate being 90 years old, and in conjunction with Little Free Library, Penguin are giving 90 applicants in the UK the opportunity to win a ‘Little Book Stop’. This is small book exchange in the community where you take a book and leave a book, and similar schemes can be found across the UK and in other countries.
I think you can probably guess what’s coming next….. yes, I’ve applied for one for my local community. It would be so exciting to be able to share my love of books in this way. I feel really passionate about the idea and have had really positive responses from people on the local Facebook group and lots of books offered to me already which is obviously a great start!
“Loves this idea!” – “Great idea!” – “Brilliant idea!” – “Encourages community spirit”
“Since they’ve taken the library out of Haughton Green it would be lovely to give something back to the community”
“This is a great idea. Really handy for people who can’t make it to their local library or don’t have access to books. It’s nice that the community shares the books and also encourage a passion for reading”
“People don’t always have time to visit the library regularly due to work and other commitments and would love something like this that they could access and use regularly”
“Reading is enjoyable and educational and as a form of escape it can help with mental health and an escape from everyday life.”
“It encourages a love of reading, makes it easier to access ‘new’ books, encourages community spirit, improves mental health, educational and environmentally friendly”
“Makes books accessible to people who may not be able to afford them. Some people struggle with letting go of their belongings, this gives them the chance to recycle or gift on treasured books as it’s for a great cause. People recycle books and others gain and benefit – encourages sustainability.”
I’ve created a Facebook group (Haughton Green Little Book Stop) for a little book stop with the idea of sharing the ‘book stop’ journey and building up a community around it if the application is successful. I won’t know anymore now until the end of May or early June. All I can do is hope my application was good enough.
I wouldn’t be who I am today without books. They’re an integral part of my past, present and future and have shaped me and influenced me in so many ways. If I can add extra books to our community, a variety of different ones, available cost free, 24/7 to people in the local area then I’ll be happy and maybe there’ll be a few more bookworms around here soon.
I’m going to finish this blog with a quote from the Penguin website because it’s a great one, and it is their birthday year after all –
“Penguin makes books for everyone. Because a book can change anyone.”
Happy 90th Birthday Penguin!