The Bodley Head

The Bodley Head was the publishing company Allen Lane managed before founding Penguin Books. Its place in the account is defined by a turning point in 1935: while serving as its Managing Director, Lane encountered the narrow choice of popular magazines and poor-quality paperbacks available to readers who could not afford hardbacks. His dissatisfaction with that situation led him to establish a new company devoted to making intelligent books available at low prices.

Identity and Context

In 1935, Allen Lane was Managing Director of Bodley Head Publishers. The evidence identifies The Bodley Head through this role and moment, rather than detailing its founding, catalogue, or wider operations. It was the professional setting from which Lane confronted a problem he saw as extending beyond any one journey: many readers had little access to good books at an affordable price.

Connection to Penguin Books

On a platform at Exeter railway station, Lane was looking for something worthwhile to read for his journey back to London. His options were popular magazines or paperbacks he considered poor quality; hardbacks were beyond the means of most readers. The encounter sharpened his anger at the general range of books available and helped precipitate his decision to found a company. That company was Penguin Books, not The Bodley Head. Lane’s later account of staking everything on the existence of a large public for intelligent books at a low price states the conviction behind the venture and the contrast that gives The Bodley Head its significance in this episode.