The Penguin English Library is an imprint of Penguin Books. The series was first created in 1963[1] as a 'sister series'[2] to the Penguin Classics series, providing critical editions of English classics; at that point in time, the Classics label was reserved for works translated into English (for example, Juvenal's Sixteen Satires). The English Library was merged into the Classics stable in the mid 1980s,[1] and all titles hitherto published in the Library were reissued as Classics.

The imprint was resurrected in 2012 for a new series of titles.[2][3] The present English Library no longer seeks to provide critical editions; the focus is now 'on the beauty and elegance of the book'.[3]

History

1963 to 1986

The Penguin English Library aimed to publish 'a comprehensive range of the literary masterpieces which have appeared in the English language since the 15th century'.[1] All texts in the Library were published with an introduction and explanatory notes written and compiled by an editor; some with a bibliography as well.[2] Editors were also required to provide 'authoritative texts', using their own judgement in printing one, or in some cases creating their own.[2] The series was recognisable chiefly by its distinctive orange spine.[1][3]

Most, if not all, titles were reprinted as Penguin Classics following the merger of the two imprints in the mid 1980s. Some of these editions were superseded in the 1990s or later,[4] while some continue to be reprinted today as Classics. Additionally, the introductions to some titles survive in present-day Penguin Classics as appendices – for example, Tony Tanner's introduction to Mansfield Park.

2012 to present

The imprint was resurrected in name, though not so much in spirit, in 2012. Texts published in the series no longer include critical apparatus; they instead feature an essay by a notable literary figure, usually excerpted from prior work - for example, the essays of Harold Bloom, V. S. Pritchett and John Sutherland have been featured.[3] A portrait or photograph of the author remains printed on the inside of the front cover.[3] The focus is now on cover art, with each title designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith.[3]

List of English Library titles

This is an incomplete list of the titles in the Penguin English Library:

1963 to 1986

All titles listed below are assumed to have lists of further reading appended and/or are no longer in print having been superseded by new editions, unless stated.

AuthorEditorTitleSeries no.Notes
Matthew ArnoldP. J. KeatingSelected Prose58Still in print as a Penguin Classic titled Culture and Anarchy and Other Selected Prose (2015).[5][6]
John AubreyOliver Lawson DickAubrey's Brief Lives79
Jane AustenRonald BlytheEmma10
Jane AustenMargaret DrabbleLady Susan/The Watsons/Sanditon102
Jane AustenTony TannerMansfield Park16Tanner's introduction to the novel is reprinted as an appendix in the 2003 Penguin Classics edition.[7]
Jane AustenAnne Henry EhrenpreisNorthanger Abbey74Does not include a bibliography.
Jane AustenD. W. HardingPersuasion5
Jane AustenTony TannerPride and Prejudice72
Jane AustenTony TannerSense and Sensibility47
James BoswellChristopher HibbertThe Life of Samuel Johnson116
Charlotte BrontëQ. D. LeavisJane Eyre11
Charlotte BrontëAndrew and Judith HookShirley95
Charlotte BrontëTony Tanner (introduction)
Mark Lilly
Villette118
Emily BrontëDavid DaichesWuthering Heights1
Thomas BrowneC. A. PatridesThe Major Works109
Edmund BurkeConor Cruise O'BrienReflections on the Revolution in FranceUnknownStill in print as a Penguin Classic.
John BunyanRoger SharrockThe Pilgrim's Progress4Reprinted with revisions as a Penguin Classic in 1987.
Samuel ButlerPeter MudfordErewhon57
Samuel ButlerRichard Hoggart (introduction)
James Cochrane
The Way of All Flesh12
Lord ByronPeter GunnSelected Prose80
Thomas CarlyleAlan ShelstonSelected Writings65
Marcus ClarkeStephen Murray-SmithHis Natural Life51
William CobbettGeorge WoodcockRural Rides23
Wilkie CollinsJ. I. M. StewartThe Moonstone14
Wilkie CollinsJulian SymonsThe Woman in White96
Daniel DefoeAnthony Burgess (introduction)
Christopher Bristow
A Journal of the Plague Year15
Daniel DefoePat RogersA Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain66
Daniel DefoeJuliet MitchellMoll Flanders107
Daniel DefoeAngus RossRobinson Crusoe7
Thomas De QuinceyAlethea HayterConfessions of an English Opium Eater61
Thomas De QuinceyDavid WrightRecollections of the Lakes and the Lake Poets56
Charles DickensGeorge WoodcockA Tale of Two Cities54
Charles DickensJohn S. Whitley
Arnold Goldman
American Notes for General Circulation77
Charles DickensGordon SpenceBarnaby Rudge90
Charles DickensJ. Hillis Miller (introduction)
Norman Page
Bleak House63
Charles DickensTrevor BlountDavid Copperfield8
Charles DickensRaymond Williams (introduction)
Peter Fairclough
Dombey and Son48
Charles DickensAngus CalderGreat Expectations3
Charles DickensDavid CraigHard Times42
Charles DickensJohn HollowayLittle Dorrit25
Charles DickensP. N. FurbankMartin Chuzzlewit31
Charles DickensMichael SlaterNicholas Nickleby113
Charles DickensAngus Wilson (introduction)
Peter Fairclough
Oliver Twist17
Charles DickensStephen GillOur Mutual Friend60
Charles DickensDeborah A. ThomasSelected Short Fiction103
Charles DickensMichael SlaterThe Christmas Books, Volume 1 (A Christmas Carol/The Chimes)68
Charles DickensMichael SlaterThe Christmas Books, Volume 2 (The Cricket on the Hearth/The Battle of Life/The Haunted Man)69
Charles DickensAngus Wilson (introduction)
Arthur J. Cox
The Mystery of Edwin Drood92
Charles DickensMalcolm Andrews (introduction)
Angus Easson
The Old Curiosity Shop75
Charles DickensRobert PattenThe Pickwick Papers78
Benjamin DisraeliThom BraunConingsby192
Benjamin DisraeliThom Braun (text and notes)
Rab Butler (introduction)
Sybil; or, The Two Nations134
George EliotUnknownAdam Bede121
George EliotBarbara HardyDaniel Deronda20
George EliotPeter CoveneyFelix Holt84
George EliotW. J. HarveyMiddlemarch2
George EliotA. S. ByattMill on the Floss120
George EliotAndrew SandersRomola139
George EliotDavid LodgeScenes of Clerical Life87
George EliotQ. D. LeavisSilas Marner30
Henry FieldingR. F. BrissendenJoseph Andrews114
Henry FieldingR. P. C. MutterTom Jones9
John FordStephen GillThree Plays ('Tis Pity She's a Whore/The Broken Heart/Perkin Warbeck)59
Elizabeth GaskellPeter KeatingCranford/Cousin Phillis104
Elizabeth GaskellStephen GillMary Barton53
Elizabeth GaskellDorothy Collin
Martin Dodsworth
North and South55
Elizabeth GaskellAlan ShelstonThe Life of Charlotte Brontë99
Elizabeth GaskellFrank Glover SmithWives and Daughters46
George GissingBernard BergonziNew Grub Street32
Richard HakluytJack BeechingVoyages and Discoveries73
Thomas HardyC. H. SissonJude the Obscure131
Thomas HardySusan HillThe Distracted Preacher and Other Tales124
Thomas HardyRonald BlytheFar from the Madding Crowd126
Thomas HardyMartin Seymour-SmithThe Mayor of Casterbridge125
Thomas HardyGeorge WoodcockThe Return of the Native122
Thomas HardyA. Alvarez (introduction)
David Skilton (editor)
Tess of the D'Urbervilles135
Thomas HardyDavid WrightUnder the Greenwood Tree123
William HazlittRonald BlytheSelected Writings50
Nathaniel HawthorneThomas E. Connolly (introduction and notes)The Scarlet Letter and Selected Tales52The text of The Scarlet Letter is that of the authoritative Centenary Works edition, published by Ohio State University Press. Connolly's notes and the text are still included in the updated Penguin Classics edition, which has excised the tales and replaced his introduction with one by Nina Baym.
Henry JamesAnthony CurtisThe Aspern Papers and The Turn of the ScrewUnknownStill in print as a Penguin Classic.
Samuel JohnsonPatrick CruttwellSelected Writings33
Samuel JohnsonD. J. EnrightThe History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia108
Ben JonsonMichael JamiesonThree Comedies (Volpone/The Alchemist/Bartholomew Fair)13
Thomas MaloryJohn Lawlor (introduction)
Janet Cowen
Le Morte d'Arthur, Volume 143
Thomas MaloryJohn Lawlor (introduction)
Janet Cowen
Le Morte d'Arthur, Volume 244
Christopher MarloweJ. B. SteaneThe Complete Plays37
Charles MaturinAlethea HayterMelmoth the Wanderer110
Herman MelvilleHarold BeaverBilly Budd, Sailor and Other Stories29
Herman MelvilleHarold BeaverMoby-Dick82
Herman MelvilleHarold BeaverRedburn105
Herman MelvilleGeorge WoodcockTypee70
George MeredithGeorge WoodcockThe Egoist34
John MiltonC. A. PatridesSelected Prose91
William MorrisAsa BriggsNews from Nowhere and Selected Writings and Designs115
Thomas NasheJ. B. SteaneThe Unfortunate Traveller and Other Works67Still in print as a Penguin Classic.
Thomas Love PeacockRaymond WrightNightmare Abbey and Crotchet Castle45Does not include a bibliography per se, but an editorial note is appended to the introduction, giving a brief list of editions and criticism. Still in print as a Penguin Classic.
Edgar Allan PoeDavid GallowaySelected Writings28
Edgar Allan PoeHarold BeaverThe Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket97
Edgar Allan PoeHarold BeaverThe Science Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe106
Walter ScottA. N. WilsonIvanhoe143
Walter ScottAngus CalderOld Mortality98
Walter ScottThe Heart of Mid-Lothian129
Walter ScottAndrew HookWaverley71
Philip SidneyMaurice EvansArcadia111
Tobias SmollettAngus RossHumphry Clinker21
Laurence SterneA. Alvarez (introduction)A Sentimental Journey26
Laurence SterneChristopher Ricks (introduction)
Graham Petrie
Tristram Shandy19Ricks's introductory essay is reprinted in the current Penguin Classics edition.
Robert Louis StevensonJenni CalderDr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Stories117
Jonathan SwiftMichael Foot (introduction)
Peter Dixon and John Chalker (notes)
Gulliver's Travels22
William Makepeace ThackerayJohn Sutherland
Michael Greenfield
The History of Henry Esmond49
William Makepeace ThackerayJ. I. M. Stewart (introduction)
Donald Hawes
The History of Pendennis76
William Makepeace ThackerayJ. I. M. StewartVanity Fair35
Edward John TrelawnyDavid WrightRecords of Shelley, Byron and The Author88
Anthony TrollopeStephen WallCan You Forgive Her?86
Anthony TrollopeJohn SutherlandPhineas Finn85
Anthony TrollopeJohn Sutherland
Stephen Gill
The Eustace Diamonds41
Anthony TrollopeLaurence Lerner (introduction)
Peter Fairclough
The Last Chronicle of Barset24
Anthony TrollopeJohn William Ward (introduction)
Robert Mason
North America38
Mark TwainJustin KaplanA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court64
Mark TwainMalcolm BradburyPudd'nhead Wilson40
Mark TwainPeter CoveneyThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn18
John WebsterD. C. GunbyThree Plays (The White Devil/The Duchess of Malfi/The Devil's Law Case)81
Gilbert WhiteRichard MabeyThe Natural History of Selborne112
Oscar WildeHesketh PearsonDe Profundis and Other Writings89
Richard Steele and Joseph AddisonAngus RossSelections from The Tatler and The Spectator130
Gāmini SalgādoCony-Catchers and Bawdy Baskets83
Peter HappéFour Morality Plays (The Castle of Perseverance/Magnyfycence/King Johan/Ane satire of the thrie estaitis)119
Peter HappéEnglish Mystery Plays93
Keith SturgessThree Elizabethan Domestic Tragedies (Arden of Faversham/A Yorkshire Tragedy/A Woman Killed with Kindness)39
Peter HappéTudor Interludes62
Cyril Tourneur
John Webster
Thomas Middleton
Gāmini SalgādoThree Jacobean Tragedies (The Revenger's Tragedy/The White Devil/The Changeling)6Authorship of The Revenger's Tragedy (which was published anonymously) was then attributed to Tourneur; today it is generally thought to have been written by Middleton.[8]
Sir George Etherege
William Wycherley
William Congreve
Gāmini SalgādoThree Restoration Comedies (The Man of Mode/The Country Wife/Love for Love)27Still in print as a Penguin Classic.
John Marston
Thomas Middleton
Ben Jonson
Philip Massinger
Gāmini SalgādoFour Jacobean City Comedies (The Dutch Courtesan/A Mad World, My Masters/The Devil Is an Ass/A New Way to Pay Old Debts)101
Horace Walpole
William Beckford
Mary Shelley
Mario Praz (introduction)Three Gothic Novels (The Castle of Otranto/Vathek/Frankenstein)36Still in print as a Penguin Classic. The text of Frankenstein is that of the revised 1832 edition.


The cover art is a detail from J. H. Fuseli's 1781 oil painting The Nightmare, and the detail was retained when the book was first reprinted as a Penguin Classic in 1986. However, reprints from 2003 onwards[9] feature the detail of a photograph by Sir Simon Marsden instead.[10]

2012 to present

AuthorTitleEssayistEssayNotes
Jane AustenPersuasionElizabeth BowenUnknown
Emily BrontëWuthering HeightsVirginia WoolfWuthering Heights
G. K. ChestertonThe Man Who Was ThursdayUnknownUnknown
Wilkie CollinsThe MoonstoneT. S. EliotThe Moonstone
Daniel DefoeRobinson CrusoeDavid BlewettThe Island and the WorldThe essay is taken from a chapter in Blewett's Defoe's Art of Fiction: Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders, Colonel Jack, and Roxana (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1979).
Henry FieldingTom JonesR. P. C. MutterTom JonesThe essay is a reprint of Mutter's introduction to the original Penguin English Library edition (see above).
Elizabeth GaskellNorth and SouthV. S. PritchettThe South Goes NorthThe essay is from Sir Victor's 1942 collection of essays, In My Good Books.
Nathaniel HawthorneThe Scarlet LetterD. H. LawrenceNathaniel Hawthorne and The Scarlet LetterThe essay is from Lawrence's Studies in Classic American Literature.
Mary ShelleyFrankensteinPaul CantorThe Nightmare of Romantic IdealismThe text is that of the 1985 Penguin Classics edition, edited by Maurice Hindle, i. e. the 1832 text. The essay is taken from a chapter in Cantor's book, Creature and Creator: Myth-Making and English Romanticism (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985).
Laurence SterneTristram ShandyV. S. PritchettTristram Shandy
Bram StokerDraculaJohn SutherlandWhy Does the Count Come to England?The essay is taken from Sutherland's Is Heathcliff a Murderer? Great Puzzles in Nineteenth Century Fiction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998).
Mark TwainThe Adventures of Huckleberry FinnHarold BloomUnknown
Oscar WildeThe Picture of Dorian GrayPeter Ackroyd-The essay is a reprint of Ackroyd's introduction to the first Penguin Classics edition.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kelly, Stuart. "The new Penguin English Library is a far cry from its 1963 version". The Guardian.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "About Penguin Classics". Penguin Classics.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Akbar, Arifa. "A whole new chapter for the Penguin English Library". Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022.
  4. Andrew Sanders. Wooten, William; Donaldson, George (eds.). Reading Penguin: A Critical Anthology. p. 112. ISBN 1443850829.
  5. Keating, Peter. "What's new". Peter Keating: Author and vegetarian cook. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  6. "Culture and Anarchy and Other Selected Prose". Penguin UK. Penguin. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  7. Austen, Jane (2003). Mansfield Park. Penguin Classics. pp. 440–465. ISBN 9780141439808.
  8. Maus, Katharine (1998). Four Revenge Tragedies. Oxford: Oxford World's Classics. p. i. ISBN 0192838784.
  9. Patton, Phil. "Reflections on a Penguin-iversary". AIGA. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  10. "Back cover of Three Gothic Novels (Classics, 2003)".
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