Audio books, biography books, business books, food and drink, e books publisher and supplier. Our owner decided that good quality contemporary fiction should be made available at an attractive price and sold not just in traditional bookshops, but also in railway stations, tobacconists and chain stores. He also wanted a dignified but flippant symbol for his new business. Seventy years later company is still one of the most recognizable brands in the world.

Our first paperbacks appeared in the summer of 1935 and included works by Ernest Hemingway, André maurois and Agatha Christie and cost just sixpence, the same price as a packet of cigarettes. The way the public thought about books changed forever - the paperback revolution had begun. We believed in the existence in this country of a vast reading public for intelligent books at a low price, and staked everything on it we became a separate company in 1936 within twelve months, it had sold a staggering 3 million paperbacks.

Traditional publishers tended to view us with suspicion and uncertainty, as did some authors. But it also had its supporters. In 1937, we moved to new offices and a warehouse at harmondsworth, near the future Heathrow airport, and began to expand. 1937 also saw the launch of our Shakespeare series and the pelican imprint original non-fiction books on contemporary issues - and the appearance of a book-dispensing machine at Charing Cross. The 1960s brought a revolution in popular culture and company was at the forefront.

Firmly established as a major force in publishing and British life, we became a public company in 1961. The share offer was 150 times oversubscribed - setting a record for the London stock exchange. The 1980s brought more change and expansion for us the company then moved to wrights lane in Kensington, but kept its site at harmondsworth. Like every other period in the companys history, we continued to publish controversial books throughout the 1980s. Our audio books were launched in 1993, bringing a mix of classic and contemporary titles to a listening audience and using only the finest actors to record them. Company has since continued to explore new technology. It was the first trade publisher to have a website and the first to open an e-book store.

We move to current home at 80 strands in central London. Today the company has offices in fifteen countries and keeps more than 5,000 different titles in print at any time. In the twenty-first century the our group can cater for every stage of a readers lifetime, with books from Dorling Kindersley, Frederick Warne, ladybird, puffin and rough guides, making the home of reading.