The Man Who Changed the Way We Read

The Story of Allen Lane and Penguin Books

Jeremy Lewis

$24.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Penguin Books Ltd
14 October 2025

Biography: business & industry; Publishing industry

To celebrate our 90th birthday, a reissue of the biography of a phenomenal individual and the story of Penguin Books.

By founding Penguin Books in 1935 and popularizing the paperback, Allen Lane not only changed publishing in Britain - he was also at the forefront of a social and cultural revolution.

In The Man Who Changed the Way We Read, Jeremy Lewis brings this extraordinary era brilliantly to life. Lane's books gave millions of people access to what had previously been the preserve of a wealthy few; they alerted the public to the threat of Nazi Germany; and Penguin itself became a cherished national institution, much like the BBC and the NHS, whilst at the same time challenging the status quo through the famous Lady Chatterley case.

This is the spellbinding story of how a complex, highly fallible man used his vision to change the world.

By: Jeremy Lewis
Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 128mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 374g
ISBN: 9781405980968
ISBN 10: 1405980966
Pages: 496
Publication Date: 14 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Jeremy Lewis worked as a publisher for ten years, and was deputy editor of the London Magazine from 1990 to 1994. He has previously written two volumes of autobiography, Playing for Time and Kindred Spirits, and a biography of Cyril Connolly.

Reviews for The Man Who Changed the Way We Read: The Story of Allen Lane and Penguin Books

An invaluable and fascinating account of this country's intellectual and political development -- Nick Hornby * Time Out * Both hugely enjoyable to read and surprisingly riveting * Independent on Sunday * Lewis's rakish and racy biography ... tells the story not just of a man, or even a firm, but of a cultural makeover that shaped the world as we know it * Daily Telegraph * Lewis's book is outstanding * London Review of Books *