Popular Penguins

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a profound philosophical work that transcends time and remains incredibly relevant today. Comprising the innermost thoughts and reflections of Aurelius, who was Emperor of Rome from AD 161 to 180, this book provides timeless wisdom and guidance. Rather than a narrative-driven plot, it consists of personal notes kept by Aurelius, intended as a source of...

The seminal work Notes from Underground: Popular Penguins by Fyodor Dostoyevsky delves deeply into the human psyche. This profound narrative introduces us to an anonymous narrator, a retired civil servant, deeply alienated from society. Feeling perpetually at odds with the world around him, he retreats to his "underground" existence, shunning social norms and despising the banalities of everyday life. The...

In the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to appease the needs of the Party. Inwardly, he rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the watchful eye of Big Brother. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair...

Metamorphosis: Popular Penguins by Franz Kafka is a compelling collection that showcases a selection of Kafka's works which he considered significant and worthy of publication. This volume promises to take readers on a journey through Kafka’s unique literary landscape, marked by his distinct style and profound thematic concerns. The collection opens with Metamorphosis, Kafka's most celebrated work. It narrates the...

The Secret History by Donna Tartt is the original American campus novel. When Richard Papen joins an elite group of clever misfits at his New England college, it seems he can finally become the person he wants to be. The moral boundaries he will cross with his new friends—and the deaths they are responsible for—will change all of their lives...

Frankenstein: Popular Penguins by Mary Shelley is a timeless tale of science, ambition, and the consequences of playing God. A fascinating fusion of Gothic horror and early science fiction, this gripping narrative explores the ambitious endeavours of Victor Frankenstein, a young and idealistic scientist fixated on unleashing the secrets of life. Driven by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, Victor's experiments...

The story begins with a startling turn of events: "Somebody must have laid false information against Josef K., for he was arrested one morning without having done anything wrong." From this cryptic and unnerving outset, The Trial: Popular Penguins delves into the nightmarish and absurd world of Josef K., an ordinary bank officer who suddenly finds himself entangled in a...

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov is a profoundly provocative and masterfully written novel that explores themes of obsession, passion, and moral ambiguity. The narrative follows Humbert Humbert, a sophisticated and erudite European émigré, who becomes infatuated with his twelve-year-old stepdaughter, Dolores Haze, whom he affectionately nicknames "Lolita." Their illicit and tumultuous relationship drives Humbert into a labyrinth of deception, manipulation, and...

A classic novel that became a classic film. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision: 'We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low...

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is an extraordinary fusion of journalism and gripping crime thriller. This remarkable work is drawn from an impactful 300-word article in The New York Times, which caught Capote's eye and spurred an intense six-year investigation and writing journey. The book meticulously reconstructs the tragic events surrounding Kansas farmer Herb Clutter, his wife, and their...

In the heart of Transylvania, Count Dracula's ancient and eerie castle serves as a realm where night triumphs over day, and sinister pleasures intertwine with deep pain. The blood of the innocent is a highly esteemed treasure within these shadowy walls. Jonathan Harker, a young solicitor, ventures through the gloomy gates of this foreboding fortress entirely unaware of the horror...

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is one of the best-loved novellas of all time. Two drifters - small, shrewd George and huge, simple-minded Lennie - get work on a ranch, planning to raise enough money to get a place of their own and live off the land, if George can save his childlike, bull-strong friend from getting into trouble....

Hell's Angels: Popular Penguins by Hunter S. Thompson is a compelling and incisive portrayal of one of the most notorious motorcycle gangs in American history. This gripping narrative dives deep into the shadowy world of the Hell's Angels, a group that unleashed waves of disruption and fear across the United States during the 1960s. Through the eyes of Thompson, readers...

In a house haunted by memories, the past is everywhere... As darkness falls, a man caught in a snowstorm is forced to shelter at the strange, grim house Wuthering Heights. It is a place he will never forget. There he will come to learn the story of Cathy—how she was forced to choose between her well-meaning husband and the dangerous...

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey is a riveting and unforgettable exploration of the human spirit set against the backdrop of a mental institution in the 1960s. The story unfolds in an Oregon psychiatric hospital where the authoritarian Nurse Ratched holds unyielding power over her patients. She uses a combination of psychological manipulation, humiliation, and the threat...

When Kino, an Indian pearl-diver, finds The Pearl of the World, he believes that his life will be magically transformed. He will marry Juana in church and their little boy, Coyotito, will attend school. Obsessed by his dreams, Kino is blind to the greed, fear and violence the pearl arouses in him and his neighbours. Written with lyrical simplicity The...

A prize-winning historical novel that has become a New Zealand classic. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision: "We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books...

This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision: ‘We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it.’ When Social...

Perfume by Patrick Süskind follows the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, abandoned at birth in the slums of eighteenth-century Paris, but blessed with an outstanding sense of smell. This gift enables Jean-Baptiste to master the art of perfume making, but one scent evades him—the scent of a virgin, whom he must possess to ensure her innocence and beauty are preserved. Laced...

Pipes and kettledrums herald the arrival of gypsies on their annual visit to Macondo, the newly founded village where Jose Arcadio Buendia and his strong-willed wife, Úrsula, have started their new life. As the mysterious Melquiades excites Aureliano Buendia's father with new inventions and tales of adventure, neither can know the significance of the indecipherable manuscript that the old gypsy...

The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton is a profound exploration that seeks to bring the wisdom of ancient philosophical traditions into the modern world. Using an accessible and engaging style, de Botton delves into the teachings of six great philosophers - Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. Each philosopher's life and work is presented as a source...

Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate...

In Cat's Cradle: Popular Penguins by Kurt Vonnegut, the seemingly innocuous endeavours of Dr Felix Hoenikker have left a deadly legacy for humanity. As the ingenious inventor behind ice-nine, a chemical compound with the terrifying capability to freeze water instantly, Hoenikker's discovery holds the potential to annihilate all life on Earth. The novel unfolds through the eyes of writer Jonah,...

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a timeless classic that delves into the heart of the American Dream. Set against the opulent backdrop of the Roaring Twenties, this novel paints a vivid picture of a society where wealth and status are the ultimate pursuits. The story follows Nick Carraway, a young man from the Midwest who moves to...

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is the original romantic comedy, brimful of wit and wisdom. When the haughty and aristocratic Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth Bennett, she instantly dislikes him, despite his reputation as a wealthy and eligible bachelor. Are her first impressions correct, or is there more to Darcy than meets the eye? Sharply observed and sparklingly funny,...

When Bill Masen awakes blindfolded in hospital and carefully removes his bandages, he realises he is one of the few who can see; almost everyone else has been blinded by a meteor shower. Now, with civilisation in chaos, the triffids—huge, venomous plants able to 'walk', feeding on human flesh—can have their day. This stark vision of a desolate world infested...

Patricia Grace's classic novel is a work of spellbinding power in which the myths of older times are inextricably woven into the political realities of today. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a...

As a diplomat in turbulent fifteenth-century Florence, Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) was deeply familiar with the swift and often ruthless changes in political power. In The Prince, Machiavelli presents a pragmatic and unflinching analysis of the mechanics of power, leadership, and statecraft. Written in 1513, this seminal work remains a cornerstone of political theory and an essential read for anyone interested...

In Civilization and Its Discontents: Popular Penguins, Sigmund Freud embarks on an exploration of the fundamental tensions that exist between the individual and the demands of society. Written during his later years, Freud delves deep into the psychological underpinnings that foster the complex relationship between our innate desires and the constraints imposed by cultural norms. This profound investigation is not...

Set in the volatile Paris summer of 1938, The Age of Reason captures the existential struggles of Mathieu Delarue, a philosophy teacher, and his eclectic circle of friends frequenting the cafés and bars of Montparnasse. Over the course of just two days, Mathieu grapples with his deeply-held beliefs about personal freedom and the repercussions of his romantic entanglements. Mathieu has...

Meet Ignatius J. Reilly—flatulent, eloquent, and pretty much unemployable. The ordinary folk of New Orleans seem to think he is unhinged as well. Ignatius ignores them as he heaves his vast bulk through the city's fleshpots in a noble crusade against vice, modernity, and ignorance. But his momma has a nasty surprise in store for him. Ignatius must get a...

The townspeople of Oran are in the grip of a deadly plague, which condemns its victims to a horrifying death. Fear, isolation, and claustrophobia follow as they are forced into quarantine, each responding in their own way to the lethal bacillus – some resign themselves to fate, some seek blame, and a few, like Dr Rieux, resist the terror. An...

Simon Winchester's The Surgeon of Crowthorne was an international bestseller and tells an extraordinary true story of murder, madness, and an extraordinary friendship in the nineteenth century. It is the tale of James Murray, the compiler of the first Oxford English Dictionary, and his most valued helper—Dr Minor of Crowthorne—who was also a homicidal lunatic, confined to Broadmoor asylum for...

A number one bestseller, this favourite New Zealand novel captures a real 19th-century community. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision: 'We believed in the existence of a vast reading public...

This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision: 'We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it.' Regarded as...

Once Were Warriors is a New Zealand classic, a raw and powerful portrayal of Māori in New Zealand society. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision: 'We believed in the existence...

Junk is not, like alcohol or weed, a means to increased enjoyment in life. Junk is not a kick. It is a way of life. Junky, Burroughs's cult classic, is a raw, semi-autobiographical account of drug addiction, which outraged America and influenced generations of writers to come. He relates with unflinching realism the highs and lows of dependency—euphoria, hallucinations, ghostly...

A Room of One's Own grew out of a lecture that Virginia Woolf had been invited to give at Girton College, Cambridge in 1928. Ranging over Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë and why neither of them could have written War and Peace, over the silent fate of Shakespeare's gifted (and imaginary) sister, over the effects of poverty and chastity on...

G.K. Chesterton's 1908 masterpiece, The Man Who Was Thursday, is a metaphysical thriller and a detective story filled with poetry and politics. Gabriel Syme is a poet and a police detective. Lucian Gregory is a poet and a bomb-throwing anarchist. Syme infiltrates a secret meeting of anarchists and becomes 'Thursday', one of the seven members of the Central Anarchist Council....

Describing Dante's descent into Hell midway through his life with Virgil as a guide, Inferno depicts a cruel underworld in which desperate figures are condemned to eternal damnation for committing one or more of the seven deadly sins. As he descends through nine concentric circles of increasingly agonising torture, Dante encounters doomed souls including the pagan Aeneas, the liar Odysseus,...

The Communist Manifesto: Popular Penguins by Karl Marx stands as one of history's most influential political manuscripts. Originally published in 1848, this seminal work offers a profound critique of capitalism and its societal consequences, advocating for a classless and stateless society. Marx, alongside Friedrich Engels, meticulously outlines the theory of historical materialism and the inevitability of class struggle, offering a...

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle is an enchanting and humorous memoir that chronicles a year in the life of an English couple who make the bold decision to settle in the idyllic southern region of France. Upon purchasing a 200-year-old farmhouse in the picturesque Luberon, they soon discover that their dream home comes with an array of unexpected...

Wild child Huck has to get away. His violent drunk of a father is back in town again, raising Cain. He won't rest until he has Huck's money. So the enterprising boy fakes his own death and sets out in search of adventure and freedom. Teaming up with Jim, an escaped slave with a price on his head, the two...

This Faust-like and magical story of the humanisation of a middle-aged misanthrope was described in The New York Times as a 'savage indictment of bourgeois society'. However, as the author notes in this edition, Steppenwolf is a book that has been consistently misinterpreted. This self-portrait of a man who felt himself to be half-human and half-wolf can also be seen...

Nausea is both the story of the troubled life of a young writer, Antoine Roquentin, and an exposition of one of the most influential and significant philosophical attitudes of modern times – existentialism. The book chronicles his struggle with the realisation that he is an entirely free agent in a world devoid of meaning; a world in which he must...

This brutal glimpse of Russia under Stalin shocked the world when it first appeared. Discover the importance of a piece of bread or an extra bowl of soup, the incredible luxury of a book, and the ingenious possibilities of simple items like a nail, a piece of string, or a single match in a time where survival is all. Enter...

The Little Prince is a moral allegory and spiritual autobiography, and it holds the distinction of being the most translated book in the French language. With its timeless charm, the story follows a little boy who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet to explore the universe. As he travels, he learns about the peculiarities of adult behaviour through...

In 1914, Karen Blixen arrived in Kenya with her husband to run a coffee farm. Drawn to the exquisite beauty of Africa, she spent her happiest years there until the plantation failed. A poignant farewell to her beloved farm, Out of Africa describes her friendships with the local people, her dedication to the landscape and wildlife, and her great love...

Beowulf tells the story of the heroic Beowulf and of his battles, first with the monster Grendel, then with Grendel's avenging mother, and finally with a dragon that threatens to devastate his homeland. Through its blend of myth and history, Beowulf vividly evokes a twilight world in which men and supernatural forces live side by side.

Out of his smoke-filled rooms in Baker Street stalks a figure to cause the criminal classes to quake in their boots and rush from their dens of iniquity. . . The twelve mysteries gathered in this first collection of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson's adventures reveal the brilliant consulting detective at the height of his powers. Problems...

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Popular Penguins by Oscar Wilde is a haunting exploration of vanity, moral corruption, and the quest for eternal youth. Set against the backdrop of Victorian London, the novel tells the story of a handsome young man, Dorian Gray, who becomes the muse of the painter Basil Hallward. Captivated by Dorian's beauty, Basil creates a magnificent...

First published in the 1920s, The Prophet, Gibran's hugely popular guide to living, has sold millions of copies worldwide and is the most famous work of religious fiction of the twentieth century. The Prophet became the bible of 1960s culture and was credited with founding the New Age movement, yet it still continues to inspire people around the world today....

Regarded as little more than a stammering fool, the nobleman Claudius quietly survives the intrigues, bloody purges, and mounting cruelty of the imperial Roman dynasties. He watches and records the activities of the wise Augustus and his villainous wife Livia, the sadistic Tiberius, and the insane excesses of Caligula. Written in the form of Claudius' autobiography, this is the first...

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby is the brilliant story of one man's journey of self-discovery. When Rob, a thirty-five-year-old record shop owner and music obsessive, is dumped by Laura, he indulges in some casual sex, a little light stalking, and some extreme soul-searching in the form of contacting every ex-girlfriend who ever broke his heart. An instant classic, High Fidelity...

Offering ancient wisdom on how to use skill, cunning, tactics and discipline to outwit your opponent, this bestselling 2000-year-old military manual is still worshipped by soldiers on the battlefield and managers in the boardroom as the ultimate guide to winning.

The night after a shooting star is seen streaking across the sky, a cylinder is discovered near London. Armed with just a white flag, the locals approach the mysterious object — only to be burned alive by heat-rays as horrific, tentacled invaders emerge. Soon, the whole of human civilisation is under threat, as powerful Martians move across the land in...

A Popular Penguin NZ classic. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision: 'We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked...

This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format reaches further back to 1935, when Allen Lane founded Penguin Books with a clear vision: 'We believed in the existence of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it.' Innovative and...

Niall Ferguson's Empire takes readers on a riveting journey through the highs and lows of the British Empire, offering a bold reinterpretation of its impact on the modern world. This enthralling narrative captures the essence of the excitement, brutality, and adventure that characterised the British Empire's expansion from the late 16th century to its zenith in the 19th century, and...

Six Thinking Hats: Popular Penguins by Edward de Bono is a revolutionary guide that transforms the way individuals and organisations approach problem-solving and decision-making. Renowned for his contributions to the field of creative thinking, de Bono presents his seminal concept that divides the process of thinking into six distinct modes, symbolised by six different coloured hats. Each of these hats...

Lloyd Jones's dazzling novel is set on a Pacific Island ravaged by war. Told through the eyes of young Matilda and drawing on the elusive power of great literature, it has caught the imagination of readers the world over. This classic has been released in the Popular Penguin format to mark 50 years of publishing in New Zealand. The format...

Describing the surreal hallucinations, insomnia and nightmarish visions he experienced while consuming daily large amounts of laudanum, Thomas De Quincey's legendary account of the pleasures and pains of opium forged a link between artistic self-expression and addiction. It paved the way for later generations of literary drug-takers from Baudelaire to Burroughs. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater is a seminal narrative...

In these haunting reflections, Primo Levi, a chemist by training, takes the elements of the periodic table as his inspiration. He ranges from young love to political savagery. Iron honours the mountain-climbing resistance hero who put iron in Levi's student soul, while Cerium recalls the improvised cigarette lighters which saved his life in Auschwitz.

Outcast and mute, Euchrid Eucrow of Ukulore inhabits a nightmarish Southern valley of preachers, incest, and ignorance. When the God-fearing folk of the town declare a foundling child to be chosen by the Almighty, Euchrid is disturbed. He sees her very differently, and his conviction, and increasing isolation and insanity, may have terrible consequences for them both. Compelling and astonishing,...

Dickens's story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by a series of ghostly visitors, has proved one of his most well-loved works. Ever since it was published in 1843, it has had an enduring influence on the way we think about the traditions of Christmas. The title of this classic is A Christmas...

First with your head and then with your heart... To Peekay, a seven-year-old boy who dreams of being the welterweight champion of the world, this is a piece of advice that he will carry with him throughout his life. Born in a South Africa divided by racism and hatred, this one small boy will come to lead all the tribes...

High in the Himalayas sits a dilapidated mansion, home to three people, each dreaming of another time. The judge, broken by a world too messy for justice, is haunted by his past. His orphaned granddaughter has fallen in love with her handsome tutor, and the cook's heart is with his son, working far away in a New York restaurant. Meanwhile,...

In 1929, Robert Graves went to live abroad permanently, vowing 'never to make England my home again'. This is his superb account of his life, from his childhood and desperately unhappy school days to his time serving as a young officer in the First World War. Containing memorable encounters with fellow writers and poets, Goodbye to All That is a...

Originally designed as a story for boys, Stevenson's novel is narrated by the teenage Jim Hawkins, who outwits a gang of murderous pirates led by that unforgettable avatar of amorality, Long John Silver. But Treasure Island has also had great appeal for adult readers and was admired by Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, and (reluctantly) Henry James. The story has a...

On the banks of the Mississippi, Tom Sawyer and his friends seek out adventure at every turn. Then one fateful night they witness a murder. The boys swear never to reveal the secret and run away to be pirates and search for hidden treasure. But when Tom gets trapped in a cave with the murderer, can he escape unharmed?

Going Solo by Roald Dahl is the marvellous account of his life as a young man. He describes getting his first job in Africa and his wartime exploits as an RAF fighter pilot, where he was shot down in the Libyan desert. Continuing the story he began in Boy, the first part of his memoir, the master storyteller conjures up...

Boy is the story of Roald Dahl's very own boyhood, including tales of sweet-shops and chocolate, mean old ladies, and a Great Mouse Plot. These tales serve as the inspiration for some of his most marvellous storybooks in the years to come. Full of exciting and strange things, the stories in Boy are a mix of the funny and the...

Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin is a stunning collection of sexual encounters from the queen of literary erotica. From Mathilde's lust-filled Peruvian opium den to the Hungarian baron driven insane by his insatiable desire, the passions and obsessions of this dazzling cast of characters are vivid and unforgettable. Delta of Venus is a deep and sensual world that evokes...

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is the shocking seminal novel that spawned one of the most notorious films ever made. Fifteen-year-old Alex and his thrill-seeking gang regularly indulge in ultra-violence, rape, and drugs. However, when he is caught and brainwashed by a government psychologist, Alex finds his new law-abiding life unbearable. Set in a terrifying dystopian future, A Clockwork...

A woman has been reported missing to detective Marlowe and a corpse is found in the lake. Yet it is not the body of the missing person, but that of one of her neighbours. Now Marlowe's on the trail of a killer, who leads him out of smoggy LA all the way to a murky mountain lake... The Lady in...

Enter Borges' timeless worlds, where the ideal and the abstract challenge reality; where philosophical paradoxes and endless possibilities abound, and wisps of dream and magic are layered in eternal reoccurrence. To read Labyrinths is to glide through time, space, mythology and philosophy, as Borges' characters struggle towards devastating discovery. His essays and brief tantalising parables explore the enigmas of time,...

Martyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, J. and his friends George and Harris decide that a jaunt up the Thames would suit them to a 'T'. But when they set off, they can hardly predict the troubles that lie ahead with tow-ropes, unreliable weather forecasts, and tins of pineapple chunks—not to mention the devastation left in the wake of J.'s...

The sole survivor of a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is stranded on an uninhabited island far from any shipping routes. At first, he is in despair, but slowly, with patience and ingenuity, he transforms his dismal island into a tropical paradise. But for twenty-four years he has no human company—until one Friday, he rescues a prisoner from a boatload of cannibals....

In the din and stink that is Cannery Row, a colourful blend of misfits—gamblers, whores, drunks, bums, and artists—survive side by side in a jumble of adventure and mischief. Doc, who owns the laboratory, is the fount of all generosity and wisdom. Everybody wants to do something nice for Doc—the trouble is, he always ends up paying. Packed with invention...

Sabrina is a firebird blazing through 1950s New York: she is a woman daring to enjoy the sexual licence that men have always known. Weaving a sensual web of deceit as she plays dangerous games of desire, she deliberately avoids commitment, gripped by the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake. In A Spy in the House of Love, Anaïs...