My list of Penguin Specials

List of Penguin Specials

 I am attempting to put together a collection of all of the Penguin Specials from 1937 to 1970. Here is a list of the early Penguin Special books that I have collected over the last 40 years or so. The list is presented as a complete list of Penguin Specials, with the ones I have in first Penguin Special edition in blue, the ones I have in Penguin Special reprint in brown and the ones I still am searching for in purple.  The date years are indicative only after 1940, as many of the books were published out of order.

Penguin Specials 1-200

1937

    S1.    Germany Turns Back the Clock: Edgar Mowrer

1938


    S2.    Mussolini's Roman Empire: G T Garratt
    S3.    Blackmail or War: Genevieve Tabouis
    S4.    Searchlight on Spain: Duchess of Atholl, M.P
    S5.    Ballet: Arnold Haskell
    S6.    Modern German Art: "Peter Thoene"
    S7.    China Struggles for Unity: J.D.M. Pringle

1939


    S8.    The Air Defense of Britain : L.E.O. Charlton, G.T. Garratt & R.Fletcher
    S9.    Europe and the Czechs: S. Grant Duff
    S10.   The Jewish Problem: Louis Golding

  
    S11.   Literary Taste: Arnold Bennett
    S12.   The Mortal Storm: Phyllis Bottome
   S13.   What Hitler Wants: Emily Overend Lorimer
   S14.   Mowrer in China: Edgar Mowrer
   S15.   One Man against Europe: Konrad Heiden
   S16.   Blue Angels and Whales: Robert Gibbings 
   S17.   Warning from the West Indies: W M Macmillan
   S18.   The Great Illusion – Now: N. Angell
   S19.   Britain by Mass Observation: C. Madge & T Harrison
   S20.   The Press: Wickham Steed

   S21.   Ourselves and Germany: Marquess of Londonderry
   S22.   Design: Anthony Bertram
   S23.   Not used
   S24.   They Betrayed Czechoslovakia: G.J. George
   S25.   I was Hitler's Prisoner: Stefan Lorant
   S26.   Between 2 Wars: K. Zilliacus
   S27.   Britain's Health: S. Mervyn Herbert
   S28.   Microbes by the Million: Hugh Nichol
   S29.   You and the Refugee: N. Angell and D.F. Buxton
   S30.   Germany What Next?: L.S. Amery et al


   S31.    Why War?: Cyril E. M. Joad
   S32.    Our Food Problem: F Le Gros Clerk & R M Titmuss
   S33.    The New German Empire: F Borkenau
   S34.    Poland: W.J. Rose
   S35.    A Hundred Years of Photography: L Moholy
   S36.    The Attack from Within: Elwyn Jones
   S37.    The Good Soldier Schweik: Jaroslav Hasek
   S38.    British Agriculture-The Principles of Future Policy: Viscount Astor & B S Rowntree
   S39.    The Suez Canal: Hugh Joseph Schonfield
   S40.    Opera: Edward J Dent

   S41.    In Search of Hot Water: H G Wells
   S42.    Not used
   S43.    Not used
   S44.    Light on Moscow: D N Pritt
   S45.    The Government Blue Book: 
   S46.    The Case for Federal Union: W B Curry
   S47.    Why Britain is at War: Harold Nicholson
   S48.    The Penguin Political Dictionary: Walter Theimer

1940


   S49.    Europe since Versailles; David Low
   S50.    The Rights of Man: H G Wells


  S51.     Must the War Spread: D N Pritt
  S52.     Not used
  S53.     Not used
  S54.    Our Struggle "Unser Kampf": R Acland
  S55.     Good God: John Hadham
  S56.     My Finnish Diary: Sir Walter Citrine
  S57.    Hitler's war: Hugh Dalton
  S58.    The Problem of India: Krishnarao Shiva Shelvankar
  S59.    Stalin and Hitler: Louis Fischer
  S60.    Warships at Work: A.C. Hardy 

  S61.    Not used
  S62.    Why Freedom Matters: N Angell
  S63.    Hydroponics: C Isabel Hilyer
  S64.    The Common Sense of War and Peace: H G Wells
  S65.    Christianity and the World Order: Bishop of Chichester
  S66.    The Penguin Political Atlas: S C Johnson
  S67.    Not used
  S68.    Not used
  S69.    Not used
  S70.    Labour and the war: John Price


  S71.    Not used
  S72.   The case for Family Allowances: Eleanor K Rathbone
  S73.   God in a World at War: John Hadham
  S74.   Science in War: Anon
  S75.   New ways of War: Tom Wintringham
  S76.   The Real Cost of War: J Keith Horsfield
  S77.   The Psychology of Fear and Courage: Edward Glover
  S78.   Where Do We Go From Here:  Harold J Laski
  S79.   The Internment of Aliens: F Lafitte
  S80.   Europe in Chains: Paul Einzig

1941

  
  S81.   Russia: Bernard Pares
  S82.   Aircraft Recognition: R A Saville-Sneath
  S83.   Europe at War: David Low
  S84.   The Truth About France: Louis Levy
  S85.   Flight to Victory: Ronald Walker
  S86.   Not used
  S87.   Food The Deciding Factor: Frank Wokes
  S88.   World Shipping: A C Hardy
  S89.   The Catholic Church and International Order: A C F Beales
  S90.   The Penguin Book of Food Growing, Storage and Cooking: F W P Carter

  S91.   Signalling and Map Reading for the Home Guard: H G Stokes
  S92.   General and Generalship: General Sir Archibald Wavell
  S93.   The Gospel for Tomorrow: The Bishop of Truro
  S94.   The French Canadians Today: Wilfred Bovey
  S95.   Nazis in Norway: Ake Fen
  S96.   Planning the War: Lt-Col. Clive Garcia
  S97.   The remaking of Italy: 'Pentad' (pseud)
  S98.   A Diary of World Affairs: Marcel Holden

1942


  S99.   Ley Farming: Sir George Stapledon and William Davies
S100.   Reaching for the Stars: Nora Waln
  
S101.   Keeping Poultry and Rabbits on Scraps: Alan Thompson & Claude Goodchild
S102.   Guerrilla Warfare: Yank Levy
S103.   Seed the Plough: C S Orwin
S104.   Christianity and Social Order: William Temple Archbishop of Canterbury 
S105.   The British Way of Warfare: B H Liddell Hart
S106.   The German Lebensraum: Robert E Dickinson
S107.    Health of the Future: Aleck Bourne
S108.    The Quest for Security in New Zealand: W B Sutch
S109.    Is Christ Divided?: William Temple Archbishop of Canterbury
S110.    How Russia Prepared: B H Liddell Hart

S111.    A Dictionary of Science: E B Uvarov   
S112.    Aircraft Recognition Vol II : R B Saville-Sneath
S113.    Modern Battle: Maj Paul W Thompson
S114.    An A.B.C. of the Pacific: Dorothy Woodman
S115.    The World at War:  David Low
S116.    A Diary of World Affairs Vol II: Dorothy Woodman
S117.    People in Production: Mass Observation
S118.    Warfare by Words:  Ivor Thomas
S119.    Soft Fruit Growing: Raymond Bush
S120.    Young Citizen: A E Morgan

 

1943

 

S121.    Science and World Order: J G Crowther, O R J Howarth & D P Riley
S122.    The Future of Medicine: D Stark Murray
S123.    Is Tomorrow Hitler's?: H R Knickerbocker
S124.    What About Business:  John Gloag
S125.    What the Church Teaches:  Alfred Walter Frank Blunt
S126.    People's War:  Tom Wintringham
S127.    Wartime 'Good Housekeeping' Cookery Book: Anon
S128.    Venereal Disease in Britain : Sydney K Laird
S129.    Crux Ansata: H G Wells
S130.    Argument of Empire:  W K Hancock

1944 

 

S131.    Soviet Light on the Colonies:  Leonard Barnes
S132.    Soft Fruit Growing Vol I Apples: Raymond Bush
S133.    The Next Germany: Anon
S134.    Our New Order or Hitler's? : Phyllis Bottome   
S135.    How the Jap Army Fights : PW Thompson, Harold Dowd & John Schofield  
S136.    Why Not Prosperity?: A J Evans   
S137.    Preserves for all Occasions: Alice B Crang
S138.    Tree Fruit Growing Vol II Pears, Quinces and Stone Fruits: Raymond Bush
S139.    Country and Town : G M Young
S140.    Rabbit Farming : Claude H Goodchild 

S141.    God and Human Progress: John Hadham
S142.    Our Settlement with Germany: H N Brailsford
S143.    India since Cripps: Horace Alexander
S144.    Poultry Farming: Alan Thompson

1945

    
S145.    Trees and Shrubs:  W H Rowe  
S146.    The Vegetable Growers Handbook Vol I : Arthur J Simons  
S147.    The Vegetable Growers Handbook Vol II : Arthur J Simons  
S148.    A Plan of Economic Development for India:  P Thakurdas
S149.    Miners Day:   Bert Lewis Coombes
S150.    Lend Lease:    E R Stettinius


S151.    TVA Tennessee Valley Authority:  David Ely Lilienthal
S152.    Not used until 1963 for The Profumo Affair:  Wayland Young
S153.    Russia and the Peace: Bernard Pares
S154.    Politics Made Plain: T L Horabin    
S155.    France: The Birth of the Fourth Republic: Maurice Edelman
 


At this point the series was suspended for more than three years, until 1949.  As you can see, the number of new Pelicans issued in each of the following ten years was greatly reduced compared to the war years, getting as few as five books or fewer per year.

1949

 

 S156.    The Case for Communism: William Gallagher


S157.    I Choose Peace: K Zilliacus


1950 

             none issued   

1951


S158.    Policy for the West: Barbara Ward
S159.    Attitude to Africa: W Arthur Lewis, Michael Scott, Martin Wight & Colin Legum


1952


S160.    The Communist Technique in Britain: Bob Darke

1953


            none issued

1954


S161.    The Kingship of Christ: Bishop of Chichester

1955


S162.    Peaceful Coexistence: Andrew Rothstein
S163.    Communism & Christianity: Martin C D'Arcy

S164.    Spotlight on Asia: Guy Wint
S165.    Twentieth Century Socialism: 'Socialist Union'


1956


S166.   Is Peace Possible?: Katherine Lonsdale


1957


S167.    Middle East Crisis: Guy Wint

S168.    Pattern of the Post-War World: Gordon Connell-Smith

1958

 


S169.    The Atom and the Energy Revolution: Norman Lansdell
S170.    British Economic Policy Since the War: Andrew Schonfield


S171.    Sixty Seasons of League Football: RC Churchill    

S172.    The Voyage of the Lucky Dragon: Ralph E Lapp
S173.    Hiroshima: John Hershey   

1959

 

S174.   Geography of World Affairs: JP Cole
S175.   Disengagement in Europe: Michael Howard
S176.   The Liberal Case: Roger Fulford
S177.   The Labour Case: Roy Jenkins
S178.   The Conservative Case: Viscount Hailsham

S179.   China New Age and New Outlook: Ping-Chin Kuo
S180.   Why NATO?: Paul-Henri Spaak   

S181.   Strategy for Survival: Wayland Young
S182.   Khrushchev's Russia: Edward Crankshaw
S183.   Tenants in Danger: Audrey Harvey

1960


S184.   Brighter than a Thousand Suns: Robert Jungk
S185.   The Hidden Persuaders: Vance Packard
S186.   The Stagnant Society: Edward Shanks
S187.   The Organisation Man: William H Whyte
S188.   Must Labour Lose?: Mark Abrahams, Richard Rose & Rita Hinden

1961


S189.   The Stagnant Society: Michael Shanks
S190.   The Jazz Scene: Francis Newton

S191.   Congo Disaster: Colin Legum
S192.   The Trial of Lady Chatterley: Cecil H Rolph
S193.   The Penguin Science Survey Part 1: Arthur Garratt
S194.   The Penguin Science Survey Part 2: Arthur Garratt
S195.   Life in the Twenty-First Century: M Vassiliev and S Gouschev
S196.   Hanged in Error: Leslie Hale
S197.   Hanged by the Neck: Arthur Koestler and C H Rolph
S198.   What's Wrong with the Unions?: Eric Wigham
S199.   What's Wrong with the Church? Nick Earle
S200.   Persecution: Peter Benenson


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9 comments:

  1. Unarmed Victory by Bertrand Russell is S220 (1963).

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Has Man A Future? by Bertrand Russell is S206 (1961)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm writing a book on the 1964 general election. Penguin edited by Tony Godwin released a series of books running up to 1964 called What Happened to Britain. Have you ever come across them?

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  5. From Oxfam online bookshop Kendal. please email bookshop via
    https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/local-shops/oxfam-shop-kendal
    we have 2 PSs you are looking for.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello, I'm a book dealer specialising in Penguin books. I have some titles from your list and can provide more details on request. My website is www.thepenguinchap.com, however my specials aren't listed there yet.

    Therefore if you care to drop me an email, thepenguinchap@gmail.com I'd be glad to help you.

    Regards
    The Penguin Chap

    ReplyDelete
  7. Monica
    From Oxfam online bookshop Kendal. please email bookshop via
    https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/local-shops/oxfam-shop-kendal
    we have PS92 and a VGC 178 you are looking for.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have also been collecting early Penguin Specials for several years. I have many gaps in the 80s and, like you, in the 90s. As they're harder to find,I wonder if they were produced in smaller quantities?

    ReplyDelete
  9. “The Problem of India,” was reviewed in the December 1941 issue of the Socialist Standard. It's worth a read: https://socialiststandardmyspace.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-problem-of-india-1941.html

    ReplyDelete