King Penguin Books at Ben Pentreath Ltd.

If you're not familiar with Ben Pentreath, by all means go visit his website right away. (After reading my blog post, of course!) In addition to owning his own interiors and architectural practice, Ben also has a very cool shop in the heart of London's Bloomsbury. (The shop is run by the stylish Bridie Hall.) Unfortunately, I have not been able to visit the shop in person, but plan to do so on my next trip to the UK.



In Ben's email newsletter, he wrote about his collection of vintage King Penguin Books. According to Ben, 76 of these books were published in the UK between 1939 and 1959. The subject matter ranges from "Animals in Staffordshire Pottery" to "Life in an English Village". I guess that I've been living under a rock because I had never even heard of these books before. What I'm most taken with are the books' cover art. Have you ever seen a series of books with such charming covers?



I'm showing some of Ben's photos below so that you can the illustrations for yourself. "Tulipomania" would look awfully nice stacked on a side table in my apartment. Then again, "Popular English Art" would add a little color to one of my tableaux. I even have a feeling that the text inside is just as interesting as the cover.



A selection of these vintage books is for sale at Ben Pentreath's shop. To inquire, email shop@benpentreath.com





















All images courtesy of Ben Pentreath Ltd.