Discover the Penguin books that shaped us

The Man Who Changed the Way We Read

The Story of Allen Lane and Penguin Books

By founding Penguin Books in 1935 and popularizing the paperback, Allen Lane not only changed publishing in Britain – he was also at the forefront of a social and cultural revolution.

In The Man Who Changed the Way We Read, Jeremy Lewis brings this extraordinary era brilliantly to life. Lane’s books gave millions of people access to what had previously been the preserve of a wealthy few; they alerted the public to the threat of Nazi Germany; and Penguin itself became a cherished national institution, much like the BBC and the NHS, whilst at the same time challenging the status quo through the famous Lady Chatterley case.

This is the spellbinding story of how a complex, highly fallible man used his vision to change the world.

An invaluable and fascinating account of this country's intellectual and political development

Nick Hornby, Time Out

About Jeremy Lewis

A former publisher and the deputy editor of the Oldie, Jeremy Lewis has written three volumes of autobiography and biographies of Cyril Connolly, Tobias Smollett and Allen Lane, the founder of Penguin Books. Shades of Greene: One Generation of an English Family, was published by Cape in 2010.
Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9781405980968
  • Length: 496 pages
  • Dimensions: 198mm x 30mm x 128mm
  • Weight: 374g
  • Price: £10.99

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