As you may know, July 30, 2010 is Penguin’s 75th Anniversary. In honor of our legacy of publishing great books we have a lot in store! I wanted to share some of the excitement with the hope that you might be interested in covering some of our efforts in the months ahead.
The summer-long celebration of the Penguin Anniversary will kick-off at Book Expo of America when the Penguin Anniversary-mobile (a Penguin-orange Mini-Cooper with the Penguin logo) will appear on display.
The Penguin Mobile will be touring throughout the US to increase awareness of The Nature Conservancy, and promote literacy. It will be appearing at bookstores across the country and will be bringing some of Penguin’s well-known authors to anniversary parties at bookstores in their hometowns. Starting with Garrison Keillor (Lake Wobegon Days) in Edina, Minnesota, on June 13, and ending with Melissa Bank (The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing) on Long Island on August 8, this summer will be a nonstop celebration of literacy, conservation, and Penguin Books! Other bestselling authors hosting parties include Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees), Jan Karon (the Mitford series), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), Geraldine Brooks (March), Kim Edwards (The Memory Keeper’s Daughter), Janice Y. K. Lee (The Piano Teacher), William Kennedy (Ironweed), and Nathaniel Philbrick (In the Heart of the Sea).
At each anniversary event, a set of 75 of the most iconic titles from Penguin Books will be donated to a local library or literacy group. Each author will sign the Penguin-mobile as it makes its way across the United States, and the summer’s events will culminate with a party at the New York Public Library in September.
When the celebration is complete Penguin will auction the car with the proceeds going to the New York Public Library. Penguin will also be donating sets of 75 books to numerous U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As part of the anniversary celebration Penguin is proud to support The Nature Conservancy and their “Plant a Billion Trees Campaign.” Penguin Books was an original supporter of the campaign at its inception in 2008. So far, more than 5.5 million trees have been planted in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.
In honor of Penguin’s Anniversary, readers can visit Penguinbooks75 which launches today May 17, the online hub for all the activities going on. This site includes exclusive material such as: an artifact gallery, an interactive timeline of Penguin’s history, a blog for the tour called “Follow the Car”, and a countdown of the top 75 Penguin books. The site will also include an essay called “The Original 10” with information on the first 10 Penguins. The site will also feature the “Penguin Inks” series and spreads from Penguin 75 edited by the acclaimed Penguin Art Director Paul Buckley.
Penguinbooks75 will also host an essay contest in which participants will share with us which of the 75 great penguins is their favorite and why. Winners will be determined by a team of Penguin staff and the grand prize winner will be awarded a full set of the 75 Penguins. 5 runners up will receive Penguin 75 tote bags.
And much, much more!! Keep visiting Penguinbooks75 for updates!
Disclosure: I did not receive any form of compensation for this post.
No comments:
Post a Comment