Penguin’s Classics line — and other lines of reprinted books that are in the public domain — is booming. Why weren’t all of these publishers amicus in the Eldred Case?
Last month, Penguin Classics began a $500,000 promotion to kick off a two-year global program under which its entire 1,300-book list of classics, the industry’s largest, will receive a complete facelift.
“Penguin Classics has always been a sizable percentage of our business,” said Kathryn Court, president of Penguin Books, a unit of Pearson. “We determined in the last couple of years to reinforce our brand identity.” Ms. Court would not provide sales figures but said 2002 revenue for Penguin Classics was 13 percent higher than in 2001.
(Thanks, Gnat!)