Pingouin

1939 · 48910 — London: King Penguin Books 1939-59. Seventy-six volumes. 8vo. Publisher's illustrated boards many with dust jackets replicating the same designs occasional prior ownership inscriptions or bookplates. Profusely illustrated throughout. Some wear to the covers the spine of K7 Fashion with old clear tape reinforcement which has slightly yellowed the spine of K64 Mexico with loss to head of both jacket and book a pleasing set overall. A charming and colourful series of books giving brief studies in a myriad of different subjects and showcasing the talents of some celebrated British illustrators including Edward Bawden Barbara Jones Enid Marx and John Piper. The early numbers were edited by Elizabeth Senior upon her untimely death during the war the mantle was taken up by Nikolaus Pevsner. The set includes 70 first editions numbers 8-10 28 59 and 70 being early reprints. The volumes were not initially published with dust jackets with the earliest first edition with one here being K32 Christmas Carol although two of the reprints also feature jackets. One bibliographic source suggests that jackets were not issued again until numbers 41 44 and 48. Jackets seem to have been routinely produced from 52 onwards and they are present to all but three of these remaining volumes here. London: King Penguin Books unknown