30th July is #PaperbackBookDay

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote many of his Sherlock Holmes mysteries from his study. But did you know that many of the Sherlock Holmes novels have been published by Penguin Books?

Penguin Books was started by Sir Allen Lane, a British publisher, in 1935 with the idea to bring high-quality paperback books, both fiction and non-fiction, to the mass market. The original idea of the paperback novel came to Lane as he was waiting for a train at Exeter station, with nothing available worth reading, beyond magazines and Victorian novels. Lane’s concept was to make paperbacks cheap enough to be sold from a vending machine, therefore removing the book from the clutches of booksellers, and bringing it to the street! The first vending machine, dubbed the ‘Penguincubator’ was to be found at 66 Charing Cross Road. At the outset a penguin paperback cost sixpence, about the same price as a pack of cigarettes.

But did you know that the unexpected history of the study is all about, privacy & prayer, reading & retreat, wealth & access!

Celebrate #PaperbackBookDay & click here to listen to our podcast on the unexpected history of the study!

Or why not check out our magazine post on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s actual study