Penguin Classics Collection [portable] Instant

The most transformative decision was the appointment of E.V. Rieu as the first editor of Penguin Classics in 1944. Rieu, a classical scholar and poet, rejected the antiquated, florid translations favored by Victorian academics. Instead, he commissioned new prose translations in “colloquial English.” His 1946 translation of Homer’s Odyssey —the first Penguin Classic—sold over three million copies.

Lane’s solution was simple yet disruptive: he wanted to publish high-quality paperback fiction and non-fiction at a price equivalent to a pack of cigarettes—sixpence. He launched Penguin Books with ten titles, including works by Ernest Hemingway and André Maurois. The books were color-coded: orange for general fiction, dark blue for biography, and green for crime. penguin classics collection