This is an interesting book that combines family history with the history of a company much-beloved by many book-lovers, Penguin. However, the title should be reversed: “The Lane Brothers and Penguin,” because the emphasis is much more on the founding family than on the publishing house. The two are intertwined, as Allen Lane was the CEO and public face of the publisher, and his brothers were responsible for much of the work to get it started, as well as helping to establish the innovative book design that separated its product from pulp paperbacks.

Much of the story is about Richard Lane, whose diaries and family papers the author had access to. (The author is Australian, and Richard spent his last years in Australia, running that branch of the Penguin empire, among other things.) Readers may wonder why they are hearing so much about Richard’s early life, before he entered publishing. Indeed, one might argue that early details are tangential to the main story, but the brothers’ early lives are in fact very interesting, and given that I read this for pleasure and not homework, I didn’t mind some tangents.

The author’s thesis is that Allen Lane received most of the credit for Penguin, as the public face and CEO who grabbed attention and had the job of hobnobbing with the literary world (even though he was not much of a reader). Richard and brother John deserve as much credit for the company’s establishment, maybe more, he argues. I have the sense that the pendulum has swung away from the previous unbalanced view of the family’s contributions but that it here swings past the middle. Surely Allen did *something* in all his years, but this is not really documented. However, what is documented is how running the company finally drove a wedge into the family and separated the brothers who were so close in their youth. Allen’s attempts to drive Richard out of the company with far less of the financial pot that he deserved are very sad.

The book is generally well-written, if you can stand a few puns or witticisms along the way. I learned a fair amount about publishing and business practices of the 20th century, as well as some flavor of Australia. It is also interesting to think that a publishing company could make its mark by publishing George Bernard Shaw’s “The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism and Capitalism,” in two volumes... for sale in railroad waiting rooms and the . The publishing world has changed, but Penguin was a driving force behind much of that change in its day. I’ve read a number of books by publishers or about publishing in the past year, and this is the best one.
4 s Lisa3,448 453

You know those folksy little credits on the back of Popular Penguins?

They don’t mention Richard Lane, do they? Penguin and the Lane Brothers, The Untold Story of a Publishing Revolution by Australian biographer Stuart Kells is the story of how the partnership between brothers Allen and Richard Lane was shattered, and the book provides an alternative to the official Penguin history which focusses on Allen Lane…

The early chapters of the book don’t do much to make me these brothers. While I felt some pity for Richard (the middle one and hero of this biography) when he was exploited as one of the Barwell Boys in South Australia’s immigration scheme for agricultural labourers, the stories of their adolescent partying and carousing in London didn’t interest me at all. Born into comparative privilege, they became even more privileged through inheritance, and promptly gratified their taste for what Kells calls ‘mischief’ and I call loutish behaviour.

To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2015/10/02/pe...
15review australia biography ...more2 s Suz1,269 670 Shelved as 'wish-list'

This sounds interesting, listening to the Aussie author being interviewed on Abc local radio. 702 aussie-author non-fiction2 s Avril442 16

An absolutely fascinating book, but I’m now going to struggle buying copies of the new cheap Penguins with the story of Allen Lane’s railway station epiphany on the back. I wonder how far Kells has swung to the other extreme in defending Richard, because in this book he comes across as a lively man while Sir Allen seems to have been an absolute horror. Is that because Kells was relying so much on Richard’s diaries and letters and the memory of his family? But still a wonderful biography and I’m glad to read how important Australia has been in keeping Penguin alive.biography books-about-books history1 Heather Boundy444 4

I wasn't sure that I would get into this book when I started reading this account of the Penguin publishing empire, but the story of the three Williams/Lane brothers became more intriguing as the story unfolded. Especially interesting was the connections with Australian publishing and Richard Lane's early adventures in the country. Allen Lane doesn't come out of it well as his desire to control the company has long-lasting and dire effects. A very interesting read for anyone interested in books and publishing. Shaun47

Well written and very readable. I learnt much about Allen Lane and he seems extremely disable, lazy and good at claiming others ideas and work for his own. There is no doubt the company should have been named after his brothers Richard and John! Nigel BealeAuthor 10 books13

Listen to my conversation with Stuart Kells about Penguin and the Lane Brothers herepublishers-histories Paris Chadwick455 2

I enjoyed the expansion on the information I already had about the Lane brothers. This makes a very good companion to 'A Rare Bird' Amanda Witt781 17 Read

Very interesting history of one of the world's largest publishing houses, beginning in a London church crypt with no running water.
Have to say I didn't know of the Lane brothers names before this. Shallowreader VaVeros860 25

Excellent!australian biography bookaholic ...more Heather15 Read

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