Penguin Books and Political Change

Dean Blackburn is a Lecturer in Modern British History at the University of Nottingham

'Not just a fascinating study of that great institution, the Penguin Special, but the equally absorbing story of ideology and politics in modern Britain. Seeing the Penguin as a canary in a coal mine, Blackburn’s account challenges many glib assumptions about when the country began to change and change again, in its transition from cultural democracy to enterprise culture.'Alwyn W. Turner, author of Crisis? What Crisis?: Britain in the 1970s and Rejoice! Rejoice!: Britain in the 1980s'Through wars hot and cold, through social and political upheavals from Austerity to Thatcherism, Penguin’s Specials offered incisive, considered analysis to tens of thousands of readers. The distinctive orange, black and white volumes democratised access to knowledge and were central to the post-war meritocratic project to make Britain a more equal and socially cohesive society. This deeply researched and vital contribution to book and political history shows how Penguin’s pocket-sized, cheap paperbacks narrated some of the most tumultuous years of the twentieth century. Blackburn’s thoughtful questions on how ideas, particularly progressive ones, are transmitted through a society in crisis are particularly relevant in today’s uncertain times.'Sarah Lonsdale, author of Rebel women between the wars'Dean Blackburn has provided a richly detailed analysis of the complex relationship between one strand of publishing output and Britain’s evolving socio-political milieu across half a century. Penguin Specials reflected changing conditions but also encouraged further debate and innovation. [..] Penguin Books casts fresh light of the role of one crusading publishing house in informing popular opinion and shaping political debate. It will be welcomed by academics and students and by members of the general public with a serious interest in twentieth-century British history and politics. Manchester University Press is to be congratulated for making it available at a very reasonable price, a fact that would certainly have gained Allen Lane’s approval.'Hugh Clout, Cercles '[An] ambitious enterprise, redefining Britain’s postwar political history in relation to ideas of meritocracy.'Jonathan Harris, Journal of British Studies

• Introduction1 Why war?2 Where do we go from here?3 The rise of the meritocracy4 The stagnant society5 Matters of principle6 Free to chooseConclusionBibliographyIndex