Puffin Classics

89 books in this series
Book cover of Emma: V&A Collector's Edition by Jane Austen

Emma: V&A Collector's Edition

This beautiful hardback edition is a special Puffin Classic created in partnership with the world-famous V & A Museum, and has a stunning cover design inspired by the iconic fashion featured in the book.

Emma is clever, rich, beautiful and sees no need for marriage. An irrepressible matchmaker, she loves interfering in the romantic lives of others, until her matchmaking plans unravel, with consequences that she never expected.

Jane Austen's novel of youthful exuberance, with its imperfect but charming heroine, is often seen as her most flawless work.
Book cover of The Great Gatsby: V&A Collector's Edition by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby: V&A Collector's Edition

This beautiful hardback edition is a special Puffin Classic created in partnership with the world-famous V & A Museum, and has a stunning cover design inspired by the iconic fashion featured in the book.

Young, handsome and fabulously rich, Jay Gatsby is the bright star of the Jazz Age, but beneath the sparkling surface of his life, Gatsby is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled

F. Scott Fitzgerald brilliantly captures both the fashionable society of the Jazz age and the disillusionment of post-war America.
Book cover of The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Lost World

Journalist Ed Malone is looking for an adventure, and that's exactly what he finds when he meets the eccentric Professor Challenger - an adventure that leads Malone and his three companions deep into the Amazon jungle, to a lost world where dinosaurs roam free.
Book cover of What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge

What Katy Did

Katy Carr intends to be beautiful and beloved and as sweet as an angel one day. For now, though, her hair is forever in a tangle, her dress is always torn and she doesn't care at all for being called 'good'. But then a terrible accident happens and Katy must find the courage to remember her daydreams and the delightful plans she once schemed; for when she is grown up she wants to do something grand . . .

A wonderful, family story, with an inspiring introduction from Cathy Cassidy.
Book cover of Tarka the Otter by Henry Williamson

Tarka the Otter

The classic story of an otter living in the Devonshire countryside which captures the feel of life in the wild as seen through the otter's own eyes.
Tarka is born in Owlery Holt, near Canal Bridge on the River Torridge, where he grows up with his mother and sisters, learning to swim and catch fish, and to beware the hunters' cry. His life is one of adventure and play, but soon he must fend for himself, travelling along streams and rivers to the open sea, sometimes with female otters White-tip and Greymuzzle. Always on the run, Tarka has many close shaves until he finally meets his nemesis, the fearsome hound Deadlock.
Book cover of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Peter Pan

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell lead the three Darling children over the rooftops of London and away to Neverland - the island where the lost boys play. Magic and mischief is in the air but if villainous Captain Hook has his way, before long someone will be swimming with the crocodiles . . .

This special Puffin Classics edition brings together two of the most inspirational collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London - the works of Arts and Crafts pioneer William Morris and the literature of J.M Barrie.

Illustrator Liz Catchpole has selected patterns from the V&A archive and introduced new artwork inspired by the collection to create a beautiful cover which brings Robert Louis Stevenson's timeless story to life.
Book cover of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island

Following the demise of bloodthirsty buccaneer Captain Flint, young Jim Hawkins finds himself with the key to a fortune. For he has discovered a map that will lead him to the fabled Treasure Island. But a host of villains, wild beasts and deadly savages stand between him and the stash of gold. Not to mention the most infamous pirate ever to sail the high seas . . .
Book cover of The Railway Children by E Nesbit

The Railway Children

When Father is taken away unexpectedly, Roberta, Peter, Phyllis and their mother have to leave their comfortable life in London to go and live in a small cottage in the country. The children seek solace in the nearby railway station, and make friends with Perks the Porter and the Station Master himself. Each day, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis run down the field to the railway track and wave at the passing London train, sending their love to Father. Little do they know that the kindly old gentleman passenger who waves back holds the key to their father's disappearance.

One of the best-loved classics of all time, with a special introduction by Jacqueline Wilson.
Book cover of King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard

King Solomon's Mines

Following a mysterious ancient map, a small group of men trek into southern Africa in search of a lost friend - and the fabled diamond mines of King Solomon. Led by the intrepid English adventurer and fortune hunter Allan Quartermain, they discover a frozen corpse, survive untold dangers in remote mountains and deserts, and encounter the merciless King Twala en route to the legendary hoard of diamonds.
Book cover of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist

The classic story of a young boy who seeks his fortune on the streets of London.

After Oliver Twist asks nasty Mr Bumble for more food, he has to flee the workhouse for the streets of London. Here he meets the Artful Dodger, who leads him to Fagin and his gang of pickpockets. When a thieving mission goes wrong, Oliver narrowly avoids prison and finds himself in the care of kind Mr Brownlow. But Fagin and the brutal Bill Sikes go in search of the young orphan, determined to drag him back . . .

With an inspirational and light-hearted introduction by Garth Nix.
Book cover of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol is one of Charles Dickens' most loved books - a true classic and a Christmas-time must-read. This special Puffin Classics edition brings together two of the most inspirational collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London - the works of Arts and Crafts pioneer William Morris and the literature of Charles Dickens.
Illustrator Liz Catchpole has selected patterns from the V&A archive and introduced new artwork inspired by the collection to create a beautiful cover which brings Charles Dickens's timeless story to life.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean, miserable, bitter old man with no friends. One cold Christmas Eve, three ghosts take him on a scary journey to show him the error of his nasty ways. By visiting his past, present and future, Scrooge learns to love Christmas and the people all around him.
Book cover of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

This beautiful hardback edition is one of five special Puffin Classics created in partnership with the world-famous V & A Museum, and has a stunning cover design adapted from their William Morris collection.

You never know where you'll find yourself in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll!

On an ordinary summer's afternoon, Alice tumbles down a hole and an extraordinary adventure begins. In a strange world with even stranger characters, she meets a grinning cat and a rabbit with a pocket watch, joins a Mad Hatter's Tea Party, and plays croquet with the Queen! Lost in this fantasy land, Alice finds herself growing more and more curious by the minute . . .
Book cover of Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables

New series Anne with an E now streaming on Netflix.

This new hardback edition of the much-loved story of orphan Anne Shirley has been created in partnership with the world-famous V & A Museum, and has an exquisite cover design from their original William Morris collection.


Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are in for a big surprise. They are waiting for an orphan boy to help with the work at Green Gables - but a skinny, red-haired girl turns up instead. Feisty and full of spirit, Anne Shirley charms her way into the Cuthberts' affection with her vivid imagination and constant chatter. It's not long before Anne finds herself in trouble, but soon it becomes impossible for the Cuthberts to imagine life without 'their' Anne - and for the people of Avonlea to recall what it was like before this wildly creative little girl whirled into town.
Book cover of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women

This new hardback edition is one of five special Puffin Classic editions created in partnership with the world-famous V & A Museum, with exquisite cover designs from their William Morris collection.


Meg is the eldest and on the brink of love. Then there's tomboy Jo who longs to be a writer. Sweet-natured Beth always puts others first, and finally there's Amy, the youngest and most precocious. Together they are the March sisters. Even though money is short, times are tough and their father is away at war, their infectious sense of fun sweeps everyone up in their adventures - including Laurie, the boy next door. And through sisterly squabbles, their happy times and sad ones too, the sisters discover that growing up is sometimes very hard to do.
Book cover of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden

'I've stolen a garden,' she said very fast. 'It isn't mine. It isn't anybody's. Nobody wants it, nobody cares for it, nobody ever goes into it. Perhaps everything is dead in it already; I don't know.'

After losing her parents, young Mary Lennox is sent from India to live in her uncle's gloomy mansion on the wild English moors. She is lonely and has no one to play with, but one day she learns of a secret garden somewhere in the grounds that no one is allowed to enter. Then Mary uncovers an old key in a flowerbed - and a gust of magic leads her to the hidden door. Slowly she turns the key and enters a world she could never have imagined.
Book cover of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows

The much-loved classic tales of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad, reissued in hardback with a stunningly beautiful cover design based on the V & A Museum's William Morris collection.

When Mole goes boating with Ratty instead of doing his spring-cleaning, he discovers a whole new world. As well as adventures on the river and in the Wild Wood, there are high jinks on the open road with that reckless ruffian, Mr Toad of Toad Hall. Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad become the firmest of friends, but after Toad's latest escapade, can they join together and beat the wretched weasels once and for all?

This is a wonderful, timeless classic story for readers of all ages.