Oxford Brooke’s University holds the archive of Penguin books. It was fascinating to visit this and listen to the archivist talk about the history of the iconic and revolutionary publishing house.
I already knew about the, possibly apocryphal, story of Allen Lane standing on a platform on Exeter Station and berating the lack of good quality, sensibly priced reading material. In reality Allen Lane had been thinking about this project for some time.
However, I didn’t really know about the impact the 1960 Lady Chatterley’s trial had upon the public image of Penguin books and indeed upon their finances. The jury sided with Penguin and very quickly an unabridged version of the controversial novel was in the shops. It sold several millions of copies and ensured a stable and secure financial position for Penguin Books for years to come.
The archive is open to the public. You simply need to request a visit.