The ground-breaking art and design of Penguin Books come under the spotlight at the University of Bristol this week as part of an international event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the publishing company.

The University is home to the Penguin Archive, a wealth of books, letters, photographs and other materials relating to Penguin Books Ltd from its foundation in 1935 to the mid-1980s, which is kept in the University Library’s Special Collections.  Experts at the University are currently undertaking a four-year research project into the archive with £650,000 funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

This year, Penguin Books will be 75 years old and Puffin Books will be 70 years old.   To mark these two anniversaries, the Penguin Archive Project has organised an international conference entitled ‘75 Years of Penguin Books’, which will explore the diverse history of this most distinctive and significant publishing house.

As part of this conference, there will be two back-to-back talks, open to the public, focusing on the art direction and design of Penguin and its books over the company's history.

The event, 'Judging A Book By Its Cover: guest lectures on  Penguin design' features Phil Baines, author of Penguin by Design and its follow up Puffin by Design published this year, and James Pardey who has written a number of articles on the art of Penguin Science Fiction, as well as editing The Art of Penguin Science Fiction website.

‘Judging A Book By Its Cover’ takes place at the Victoria Rooms, Queens Road, Bristol from 5.15pm on Tuesday 29 June.  Price:  £5/£3 concessions

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AHRC Media contact: Jake Gilmore, Communications Manager, 01793 416021; j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk 

Notes to Editor:

Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £112 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,300 postgraduate awards. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.