In 1935, if you wanted to read a good book, you needed either a lot of money or a library card. Cheap paperbacks were available, but their poor production generally tended to mirror the quality between the covers. Penguin paperbacks were the brainchild of Allen Lane. After a weekend visiting Agatha Christie in Devon, he found himself on a platform at Exeter station searching its bookstall for something to read on his journey back to London. Appalled by the selection on offer, Lane decided that good quality contemporary fiction should be made available at an attractive price and sold not just in traditional bookshops, but also in railway stations, tobacconists and chain stores. He also wanted a 'dignified but flippant' symbol for his new business.

His secretary suggested a Penguin and another employee was sent to London Zoo to make some sketches. Seventy years later Penguin is still one of the most recognisable brands in the world.

Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin, publishes highly commercial popular fiction and non-fiction, and is principally interested in publishing the 'Top Ten Bestsellers'. Michael Joseph is at the cutting edge of the commercial book world, publishing engaging fiction and fast and reactive non-fiction, giving readers what they really want.