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PENGUIN SERVICES EDITIONS


'SE' 1 - 18

See also other War-time and fighting publications:
(FBC) FORCES BOOK CLUB
(PoW) THE PRISONERS OF WAR BOOK SERVICE
(Egypt) EGYPTIAN PENGUINS (20)
'PA' PRINTS BY TOPOLSKI (PA1 - PA4)
'H' PENGUIN HANSARD (H1 - H6)
'S-US' FIGHTING FORCES - PENGUIN SPECIALS USA
'F' ÉDITIONS PINGOUIN (F1 - F6)
'V' ÉDITIONS PENGUIN (V1 - V18)





This series of books was commenced towards the end of the war, in the second half of 1945. These were all current books, printed in 1945, and then also produced for the armed services. They were re-bound in slightly altered covers - with a narrow stripe on the spine and in the central box of the cover above the words 'SERVICES EDITION'. Fifteen titles were produced, though the last number is SE18 as numbers SE14, SE16 and SE17 were not used. The final three books, SE13, SE15 and SE18 were printed in 1945 and it would appear that they were issued as 'Services Editions' ahead of publication to the public in January 1946.

Distribution of the books was handled by a government department, the Services Central Book Depot. This agency also received 'Services Editions' of books from other publishers.

The Services Editions covers generally have a narrow stripe on the spine and below the name of the author on the front cover, above the words 'SERVICES EDITION'. The original number of the book is replaced by the 'SE' pre-fix with the series number. However, a few titles were bound in standard covers - but have the SERVICES EDITION publication date behind the title page - these included Nos. 500, 506 and 508 which are shown below.



Information and cover photographs of the PENGUIN SERVICES EDITIONS series:

Number: SE1
Series No.: SE1
Title: TOGETHER
Author: Norman Douglas
Original Edition: Main Series No. 502, Travel and Adventure
First Published by Penguin: March 1945
Pages: 128pp.
Printer: Wyman and Sons Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (9d.)
The number does not appear on the spine
Number: SE2
Series No.: SE2
Title: ESCAPE TO SWITZERLAND
Author: G. R. de Beer
Original Edition: Main Series No. 490, Travel and Adventure
First Published by Penguin: June 1945
Pages: 160pp.
Printer: Wyman and Sons Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (9d.)
Number: SE3
Series No.: SE3
Title: PERSONS AND PERIODS
Author: G. D. H. Cole
Original Edition: Pelican No. A146
First Published by Penguin: October 1945
Pages: 176pp.
Printer: Wyman and Sons Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (9d.)
Number: SE4
Series No.: SE4
Title: THE ISLAND OF CAPTAIN SPARROW
Author: S. Fowler Wright
Original Edition: Main Series No. 507, Fiction
First Published by Penguin: July 1945
Pages: 192pp.
Printer: Wyman and Sons Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (9d.)
Number: SE5
Series No.: SE5
Title: LADY HESTER STANHOPE
Author: Joan Haslip
Original Edition: Main Series No. 505, Biography
First Published by Penguin: June 1945
Pages: 240pp.
Printer: Hazell, Watson and Viney Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: 9d.
Number: SE6
Series No.: SE6
Title: THE MANAGERIAL REVOLUTION or, What is happening in the world now
Author: James Burnham
Original Edition: Pelican No. A140
First Published by Penguin: May 1945 (printed April 1945)
Pages: 240pp.
Printer: Hazell, Watson and Viney Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: 9d.
Number: SE7
Series No.: SE7
Title: GOODBYE TO BERLIN
Author: Christopher Isherwood
Original Edition: Main Series No. 504, Fiction
First Published by Penguin: July 1945
Pages: 192pp.
Printer: Hazell, Watson and Viney Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: 9d.
Number: SE8
Series No.: SE8
Title: A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN
Author: Virginia Woolf
Original Edition: Main Series No. 481, Essays and Belles Lettres
First Published by Penguin: July 1945
Pages: 96pp.
Printer: R. and R. Clark Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (9d.)
Number: SE9
Series No.: SE9
Title: THE DIARY OF A NOBODY
Authors: George and Weedon Grossmith
Illustrations: by Weedon Grossmith
Original Edition: Main Series No. 510, Fiction
First Published by Penguin: August 1945
Pages: 176pp.
Printer: Wyman and Sons Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (9d.)
Number: SE10*
Series No.: SE10*
Title: WITHIN THE TIDES
Author: Joseph Conrad
Original Edition: Main Series No. 506, Fiction
First Published by Penguin: June 1945
Pages: 200pp.
Printer: Eric Bemrose Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (9d.)
* The number SE10 appears on this book, and also on the next book by Emile Gaboriau. Presumably the latter book was intended to be SE11.
Number: SE10*
Series No.: SE10*
Title: THE MYSTERY OF ORCIVAL (Translated from the French)
Author: Emile Gaboriau
Original Edition: Main Series No. 508, Fiction
First Published by Penguin: October 1945
Pages: 272pp.
Printer: Wyman and Sons Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (9d.)
* The number SE10 appears on this book, and the previous book by Joseph Conrad. Presumably the this book was intended to be SE11.
Number: SE12
Series No.: SE12
Title: READING FOR PROFIT Lectures on English Literature delivered in 1941, 1942 and 1943 to British Officers prisoners of war in Germany
Author: Montgomery Belgion
Original Edition: Pelican No. A151
First Published by Penguin: November 1945
Pages: 288pp.
Printer: Hazell, Watson and Viney Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (9d.)
Number: SE13
Series No.: SE13
Title: CAUSE FOR ALARM
Author: Eric Ambler
Original Edition: Main Series No. 517, Crime
Published by Penguin in main series: January 1946
Pages: 288pp.
Printer: Hazell, Watson and Viney Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (1/-)

Image courtesy of paperbackrevolution
Number: SE14
Series No.: SE14
THIS NUMBER (No. SE14) WAS NOT USED.
Number: SE15
Series No.: SE15
Title: TRIALS IN BURMA
Author: Maurice Collis
Original Edition: Main Series No. 515, Biography
Published by Penguin in main series: January 1946
Pages: 224pp.
Printer: Hazell, Watson and Viney Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (1/-)
Number: SE16
Series No.: SE16
THIS NUMBER (No. SE16) WAS NOT USED.
Number: SE17
Series No.: SE17
THIS NUMBER (No. SE17) WAS NOT USED.
Number: SE18
Series No.: SE18
Title: THE ODYSSEY
Author: Homer
Translation: by E. V. Rieu
Series Editor: E. V. Rieu
Original Edition: Penguin Classics Series No. L1
Published by Penguin in Classics series: January 1946
Pages: 384pp.
Printer: R. and R. Clark Ltd
Published in this edition: second half of 1945
Price: (1/-)
Number:500
Series No.: 500 (SE)
Title: MAJOR BARBARA
Author: George Bernard Shaw
Original Edition: Main Series No. 500, Plays
First Published by Penguin (in Services Edition): 1945
Published by Penguin (in Main Series): July 1946
Pages: 176pp.
Printer: R. and R. Clark Ltd
This format: This book contains the date as SERVICES EDITION 1945 but has the standard Penguin main series cover.
Price: 1/-

[Copy of this book at Stirling University, Mitchell Collection]
Number:506 (SE10)
Series No.: 506 (SE10)
Title: WITHIN THE TIDES
Author: Joseph Conrad
Original Edition: Main Series No. 506, Fiction
First Published by Penguin: June 1945
Pages: 200pp.
Printer: Eric Bemrose Ltd
This format: This book contains the date as SERVICES EDITION 1945 but has the standard Penguin main series cover. Clearly some books destined for the Services Edition were bound with the main run.
Price: 9d.

[Copy of this book at Edinburgh University Library, Centre for Research Collections]
Number:508


Series No.: 508
Title: THE MYSTERY OF ORCIVAL (LE CRIME D'ORCIVAL) Translated from the French
Author: Émile Gaboriau
Original Edition: Main Series No. 508, Fiction
First Published by Penguin: October 1945
Pages: 272pp.
Printer: Wyman and Sons Ltd
This format: This book contains the date as SERVICES EDITION 1945 but has the standard Penguin main series cover. The second image shows the spine with the main series number '508' printed on it.

Images courtesy of Andy Rigby



image
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