About us
We make books for everyone, because a book can change everyone.
The one you can’t put down. The one you’ll never forget.
Some time ago – in 1934, to be precise – our founder was waiting for a train and couldn’t find anything good to read. What was needed, he realised, were quality books at a reasonable price. And so he decided to change things – the following year Penguin was launched, kickstarting a paperback revolution that would sweep the world.
The one you listened to this morning. The one you’re cooking from tonight.
Today, our iconic logo – originally sketched at London Zoo – can be found on bestsellers and undiscovered gems, pride of place in much-loved bookshops, neighbourhood supermarkets and almost certainly on your shelf at home. Whatever, wherever and however you like to read, we’ve got something for you.
The one that makes you laugh out loud. The one that made you sob even louder.
Almost a century after that train journey, in a very different world indeed, our Mission remains the same. Through decades and lifetimes, celebrations and crises, Penguin has always, always made books for everyone. Books that can change your mood or your mind. Your commute or your community. The way you eat or the way you sleep. Today, tomorrow or your entire life.
Over 150 years of history
We’re proud of our heritage and our track record of bringing to life a vibrant range of iconic, diverse and new voices through our books.
Penguin and Random House came together in 2013 to form the world’s leading and first truly global book publishing company. We represent two rich publishing histories marked by unparalleled success and innovation.
We’ve been doing it for over 150 years: our oldest continuous imprint, Chatto & Windus, can trace its origins back to 1855. Our founders laid the roots for the way we operate as a company today: championing creativity, inclusion, entrepreneurship and collaboration.
In 1934, on his way to London after visiting his friend Agatha Christie, the young publisher Allen Lane stopped at the station bookstall at Exeter St Davids and saw that all the books on sale were of a poor quality and overpriced.
What was needed, he realised, were good books at a price everyone could afford.
Within a year he had founded Penguin Books, creating a paperback revolution that democratised quality literature and would fundamentally change the publishing world forever.
Along the way we’ve been behind some of the greatest and most popular books ever published, and worked with celebrated classic authors including Sylvia Plath, George Orwell, Leo Tolstoy and Virginia Woolf, and, more recently, Zadie Smith, Marian Keyes, Dan Brown, Malorie Blackman, Yuval Noah Harari, Philip Pullman and Arundhati Roy.
Today, we continue to lead the industry. In a market which is constantly changing, we are stretching the definition of the word publisher: working with talent across the creative spectrum - from TV production companies to A-list audiobook narrators - to connect with more readers than ever before, both through and beyond the book.
Explore our publishing houses
Our creatively and editorially independent publishing houses seek out and enable talented people from all walks of life to tell their stories – and make sure they are heard. From bestselling writers and bold illustrators, to big thinkers and political commentators, trailblazing entrepreneurs and wellbeing experts, we are home to some of the world's most celebrated authors.
