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Beautiful books that make unforgettable gifts

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Interviews

The Penguin Podcast: episode 3 – the classics

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Features

How to read the longest classic books

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8 literary mazes to explore

The Penguin Modern Classics Book

The essential guide to twentieth-century literature around the world 
 
For six decades the Penguin Modern Classics series has been an era-defining, ever-evolving series of books, encompassing works by modernist pioneers, avant-garde iconoclasts, radical visionaries and timeless storytellers. 
 
This reader's companion showcases every title published in the series so far, with more than 1,800 books and 600 authors, from Achebe and Adonis to Zamyatin and Zweig. 
 
It is the essential guide to twentieth-century literature around the world, and the companion volume to The Penguin Classics Book. 
 
Bursting with lively descriptions, surprising reading lists, key literary movements and over two thousand cover images, The Penguin Modern Classics Book is an invitation to dive in and explore the greatest literature of the last hundred years.

A heavyweight - but never burdensome - history of the publishing house... A must for quiz-hounds

As close to pornography as you can get as a bibliophile. From one angle it is a testament to book design over nigh on a century. On another, it is a work of publishing history

For six decades the Penguin Modern Classics series has been an era-defining, ever-evolving series of books, encompassing works by modernist pioneers, avant-garde iconoclasts, radical visionaries and timeless storytellers. 
 
This reader's companion showcases every title published in the series so far, with more than 1,800 books and 600 authors, from Achebe and Adonis to Zamyatin and Zweig. 
 
It is the essential guide to twentieth-century literature around the world, and the companion volume to The Penguin Classics Book. 
 
Bursting with lively descriptions, surprising reading lists, key literary movements and over two thousand cover images, The Penguin Modern Classics Book is an invitation to dive in and explore the greatest literature of the last hundred years.

Henry Eliot is the author of Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists, The Penguin Classics Book, The Penguin Modern Classics Book, Follow This Thread and Curiocity: an Alternative A-Z of London (with Matt Lloyd-Rose). He hosts the podcast On the Road with Penguin Classics. He has organized various literary tours, including a mass public pilgrimage for the National Trust (inspired by William Morris), a recreation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, a Lake Poets tour of Cumbria and a quest for the Holy Grail based on Malory's Morte D'Arthur.

For six decades the Penguin Modern Classics series has been an era-defining, ever-evolving series of books, encompassing works by modernist pioneers, avant-garde iconoclasts, radical visionaries and timeless storytellers. 
 
This reader's companion showcases every title published in the series so far, with more than 1,800 books and 600 authors, from Achebe and Adonis to Zamyatin and Zweig. 
 
It is the essential guide to twentieth-century literature around the world, and the companion volume to The Penguin Classics Book. 
 
Bursting with lively descriptions, surprising reading lists, key literary movements and over two thousand cover images, The Penguin Modern Classics Book is an invitation to dive in and explore the greatest literature of the last hundred years.

A Maze Book to Get Lost In

Follow This Thread

'Delightful, ingenious and beautifully designed' Philip Pullman 
 
'Uniquely magical, each page offers new delights. Many books are described as 'journeys' but Follow This Thread really is one' Alan Connor 
 
'Beautifully immaculate degree zero prose . . . a coherent and exhilarating experience' Greg Bright, the 'Maze King' 
 
Take an immersive journey into the labyrinthine world of mazes 
 
Labyrinths are as old as humanity, the proving grounds of heroes, the paths of pilgrims, symbols of spiritual rebirth and pleasure gardens for pure entertainment. Henry Eliot, co-author of the acclaimed Curiocity, leads us on a twisting journey through the world of mazes, real and imagined, unravelling our ancient, abiding relationship with them and exploring why they continue to fascinate us, from Kafka and Kubrick to the myth of the Minotaur and a quest to solve the disappearance of the legendary Maze King. Are you ready to step inside?

Henry Eliot is the creative editor of Penguin Classics. Having studied English Literature at Cambridge University, he has spent the past decade immersed in literature, creating a mass public pilgrimage for the National Trust inspired by William Morris, recreating Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to raise money for the National Literacy Trust and leading a number of literary tours, including a Lake Poets tour of Cumbria and a quest for the Holy Grail based on Malory's Morte Darthur. He was a Trustee of the William Blake literary society for three years. He is the author of Follow This Thread, a maze-like book about the history and psychology of mazes, and Curiocity, written with Matt Lloyd-Rose, an illustrated book of unexpected London journeys and experiences.

As a rule, we take care not to get lost, so why should we willingly enter a maze? Illustrated with a single red line, Follow This Thread traces dozens of real and historical mazes, and their uses in literature, art and film, from Pac-Man and Picasso to Kubrick and Kafka. 
 
Henry Eliot reveals our abiding, ancient relationship with mazes and labyrinths, and unpicks the paradoxical psychology involved in walking them, combining the myth of the Minotaur with a quest for the legendary Maze King, who disappeared in 1979. The text coils around the pages, recreating the experience of walking a labyrinth, with its twists and turns, frights and fantasies.

The Penguin Classics Book

**Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year** 
 
The Penguin Classics Book is a reader's companion to the largest library of classic literature in the world. 
 
Spanning 4,000 years from the legends of Ancient Mesopotamia to the poetry of the First World War, with Greek tragedies, Icelandic sagas, Japanese epics and much more in between, it encompasses 500 authors and 1,200 books, bringing these to life with lively descriptions, literary connections and beautiful cover designs.

Beautifully designed and lovingly compiled

Smartly illustrated with original cover artwork-ideal for glancing over dearly loved literary companions, as well as for discovering gaps to fill . . . This is a fascinating survey of how our nation's literary tastes have altered over the years and makes us wonder anew at what constitutes a 'classic'.

I can't imagine a better or more beautifully presented reference for a book-lover

Henry Eliot is the Creative Editor of Penguin Classics. Before joining Penguin he organized various literary tours, including a mass public pilgrimage for the National Trust (inspired by William Morris), a recreation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales which raised money for the National Literacy Trust, a Lake Poets tour of Cumbria and a quest for the Holy Grail based on Malory's Morte D'Arthur. He is the author of Follow This Thread and Curiocity (with Matt Lloyd-Rose).

Penguin Classics is the largest and best-known classics imprint in the world. From The Epic of Gilgamesh to the poetry of the First World War, and covering all the greatest works of fiction, poetry, drama, history and philosophy in between, this reader's companion encompasses 500 authors, 1,200 books and 4,000 years of world literature. 
 
Stuffed full of stories, author biographies, book summaries and recommendations, and illustrated with thousands of historic Penguin Classic covers, this is an exhilarating and comprehensive guide for anyone who wants to explore and discover the best books ever written.

An Alternative A-Z of London

Curiocity

'The most ingenious, informative, inimitable, individual, innovative, insightful, inspiring, instructive, intelligible, intoxicating, intricate guide to the great city that I have ever seen. Bravo!' Philip Pullman 
 
'A glorious and delightful compendium and guide to London from Above, Below and all the in-betweens' Neil Gaiman 
 
Curiocity is a London book unlike any other. Its 26 chapters weave together facts, myths, stories, riddles, essays, diagrams, illustrations and itineraries to explore every aspect of life in the capital. At the heart of each chapter is a hand-drawn map, charting everything from thecity's islands and underground spaces, to its erogenous zones and dystopian futures. Taking you from Atlas to Zones, via Congestion, Folkmoot, Pearls and Xenophilia, Curiocity will transform the way you see London. 
 
'The greatest book about London published in modern times ... an illuminated manuscript for the 21st century city' Londonist 
 
'Here is something different ... the literary equivalent of Sir John Soane's Museum ... quite breathtaking' The Times Literary Supplement 
 
'Remarkable ... a nerdy Londoner's paradise ... an exquisite 450-page cross between an encyclopaedia and an artwork' Evening Standard 
 
'Utterly extraordinary' Tom Holland 
 
'However well you think you know London, you will discover something newon virtually every page, and the things you know well will be seen completely differently' The London Society

The most ingenious, insightful, inspiring, intoxicating, and simply interesting guide to the great city that I have ever seen

Remarkable ... a nerdy Londoner's paradise ... an exquisite 450-page cross between an encyclopaedia and an artwork

The greatest book about London published in modern times ... an illuminated manuscript for the 21st century city

London's bookshops and libraries are filled with printed guides to the city but few (if any) are as comprehensive as Curiocity

An endlessly fascinating guide to London ... an eccentric lexical juggernaut ... I doubt that anything of such crazy magnitude will be attempted again in a hurry

A glorious and delightful compendium and guide to London from Above, Below and all the in-betweens

Here is something different [...] composed of fresh flashes of insight [...] constructed as a cabinet of curiosities, the literary equivalent of Sir John Soane's Museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields. The work [the authors] have put into it is formidable, the collaboration they have won from contributors, illustrators and publishers quite breathtaking.

The authors' delight in London trivia is infectious

A beautifully produced miscellany of fascinating facts about London. Wonderful illustrations are added to intriguing nuggets of information on a huge range of subjects from street cries to earthstars. An object of beauty in itself

Reimagines the 'guidebook' in the same way that Peter Ackroyd's London: the Biography reinvented historical writing about the capital. And just as Ackroyd set a benchmark, every new guide to London will now be viewed with reference to Curiocity. [...] However well you think you know London, you will discover something new on virtually every page, and the things you know well will be seen completely differently. Highly recommended

Beautifully illustrated, quirky and irreverent

Incredibly clever and gorgeous. It's like a London treasure hunt - an unexpected explorers' map of a city I've lived in all my life and thought I knew

Henry Eliot and Matt Lloyd-Rose are old friends and Curiocity is their first book. Henry has led cheese walks in London, written a book about mazes called Follow This Thread, and he is the creative editor of Penguin Classics. Matt Lloyd-Rose has been a primary teacher, police officer and social researcher in London. He wrote this book while living in Buenos Aires.

Curiocity is a new A to Z exploring every aspect of life in London. Its 26 chapters weave together the city's stories with striking reflections, practical ideas and itineraries, and contributions from London voices such as Monica Ali and Iain Sinclair. The book is illustrated by artists including Chris Riddell, Isabel Greenberg and Steven Appleby, and at the heart of each chapter is an original hand-drawn map, charting everything from the city's international communities, underground spaces and children's dreams, to its unrealised plans, erogenous zones and dystopian futures. Curiocity is a unique guide that will transform the way you see and experience London.

Henry Eliot

I loved this so much. Lists for bookish folk, filled with things I had not known or dreamed

Totally enthralling... The perfect bedside book

If there was a list of books about lists, Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists would be top

An absolute delight - Borges meets Buzzfeed

A gorgeous confection . . . How do I love this book? Let me list the ways . . .

Brimful of piquant and scrumptious surprises

Thoroughly enjoyable... As amusing as it is informing

Buried deep in the etymology of the word 'list' is the notion of pleasure. Mr Eliot's marvellous vade mecum reminds us why

I loved Eliot's book for its wit, learning, eccentricity and unrepentant bookishness

A magnificent labyrinth of literary trivia to get lost in . . . fun and fascinating things on every page

A trove of treasures from start to finish

Reading this book is like going on a literary Grand Tour . . . Essential for the pub quiz

Eliot's books have been my equivalent of big game almanacs. This book is half a delight and half a gauntlet

The ultimate book for lovers of lists and literature . . . surprising, inspiring and amusing

A sparkling miscellany of literary lists

Who had birds called Death, Wigs and Spinach? How do you spell the noise of a door slamming? Whose working title was The Chronic Argonauts? 
 
Henry Eliot - author, editor and insatiable bookworm - has ransacked the libraries and archives of world literature, compiling hundreds of bookish lists. This eclectic gallimaufry showcases his favourites: we witness the tragic ends of the Ancient Greek tragedians, learn the name of George Orwell's pet cockerel and rummage through Joan Didion's travelling bag; we consider the history of literary fart jokes, orbit the Shakespearean moons of Uranus and meet several pigs with wings. From the sublime to the ridiculous - and everything in between ­- Eliot's lists, recommendations and nuggets of trivia will delight, inspire and surprise anyone who loves reading. 
 
Beautifully presented with supplementary maps and illustrations, Henry Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists is the essential gift for book-lovers.

Henry Eliot

Praise for Eliot's Book of Bookish Lists

I loved this so much. Lists for bookish folk, filled with things I had not known or dreamed

Totally enthralling... The perfect bedside book

An eccentric idea beautifully executed

I loved this so much. Lists for bookish folk, filled with things I had not known or dreamed

Totally enthralling... The perfect bedside book

An eccentric idea beautifully executed

I loved this so much. Lists for bookish folk, filled with things I had not known or dreamed

Totally enthralling... The perfect bedside book

An eccentric idea beautifully executed

Books by Henry Eliot

Articles featuring Henry Eliot

Beautiful books that make unforgettable gifts

The Penguin Podcast: episode 3 – the classics

How to read the longest classic books

8 literary mazes to explore

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