Penguin Classics Library Complete Collection Continues To Get National Publicity

Penguin Classics Library Complete Collection Continues To Get National Publicity

NEW YORK, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The Penguin Classics Library Complete Collection launched on Amazon on June 15th will be discussed on "All Things Considered," the nationally syndicated radio talk show on National Public Radio.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050824/NYW120 )

Kathryn Court, President and Publisher of Penguin Books and Penguin Classics, and Tim McCall, Associate Director of Online Sales and Marketing, will be interviewed by "All Things Considered" Host Melissa Block on Wednesday, August 24th.

The Penguin Classics Library Complete Collection contains over 1000 titles and is the most comprehensive collection of classic literature available. From Renaissance philosophy to the poetry of revolutionary Russia, from the spiritual writings of India to the travel narratives of the early American colonists, from The Complete Pelican Shakespeare to The Portable Sixties Reader, The Penguin Classics Library Complete Collection includes classics that educate, provoke, entertain and enlighten readers of all interests and inclinations.

The Complete Collection (1082 titles for $7989.50) attracted national attention after a story about it ran in the Wall Street Journal online edition on June 26th. It quickly became "the #1 blogged item on the web." Additional stories appeared in The Chicago Tribune, The Detroit Free Press, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Baltimore Sun, The Toronto Star, and New York Magazine. The Complete Collection has spurred lively debate over the value of literature and the utility of the old-fashioned book and the sheer enjoyment of reading. A simple internet search turned up countless citations on owning the books.

Some of the comments include:

* "Think of it as Humanities In a Box. OK, a Very Big Box." (Wall Street
Journal Online)

* "That's about 500,000 pages ... at 600 to 1200 pages a day it would
take me between 420 to 835 days to finish reading the entire
collection. If you figure the price at $10 per day it's really not
that much ... pity you can't get in on a payment plan." (Slashdot.org)

* "I wonder how this collection comes packaged. Does it show up in a
shipping container?" (Slashdot.org)

* "I'm picturing Monday morning at the hometown library. The UPS rep
knocks on the door to get a signature, and the librarian looks up to a
couple semi-loads of books starting to be unloaded in their front
yard." (Slashdot.org)

* "Well they ship it by catapult, and just get the coordinates from your
street address. Damage to your house is just not their problem."
(GoogleGroups)

* "If only I had 8 grand to spare and a bigger apartment." (SpankMag.com)

* "At the rate I read -- let's say 2 books a week -- I'd have over 10
years of reading. Ten years ... .If only I could retire and buy this
set, I'd be in literary heaven." (Kirkville)

More fun facts about The Penguin Classics Library Complete Collection:
* 1082 titles
* nearly half a million pages
* 862 feet laid end-to-end (almost as tall as the Empire State Building)
* 52 miles of pages laid end-to-end
* 700 pounds
* From Edwin Abbot to Emile Zola
* 553 Authors
* Heavy Hitters: 39 Anonymous, 47 William Shakespeare, 23 John Steinbeck,
20 Henry James, 20 Charles Dickens, 17 Graham Greene

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050824/NYW120
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Penguin Group

CONTACT: Maureen Donnelly of Penguin Publicity, +1-212-366-2272

Web site: http://www.penguinputnam.com/

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