Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
Penguin Books only
Shelves of Paperback bookstore in Itaewon, Seoul, are filled with vintage Penguin Books collected by owner Lee Hee-song. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Paperback bookstore is treasure trove for vintage book lovers
By Kwon Mee-yoo
A shelf of vintage orange Penguin Books always catches one's eyes when visiting used bookstores. A second-hand bookshop filled solely with Penguin Books would be a dream of a bibliophile.
Paperback, a new bookstore that opened in February located near Itaewon-dong's Gyeongidan Street, is a dream-come-true for booklovers as this shop only features vintage Penguin Books, its imprints Pelican Books and Puffin Books, and other gift items using the iconic Penguin book cover design.
Lee Hee-song, owner of Paperback, said it took about two years for him to collect enough books and find a bricks-and-mortar space, bringing his idea of a Penguin Books-only bookshop to fruition.
This is not Lee's first bookshop. He previously ran Pinokio Books, a bookstore specializing in picture books, before opening Paperback. Before opening Pinokio Books in 2013, he was a white-collar worker at embassies and non-governmental organizations.
"I have always thought that if I owned a personal business, it would be a bookstore. Many people might have thought so as they grew up visiting local bookstores because life surrounded by books seemed so ideal," Lee said at an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday. "My family and friends discouraged me from starting a bookshop at first. Some of them even made a bet that it would close within six months, but I've been in the bookstore business for eight years now."
However, operating a small bookshop in the era of online commerce was harsher than his childhood dream and he quickly had to get his head out of the clouds.
"Pinokio Books ran well for the first few years, but the business became difficult as similarly themed bookstores sprang up. On the verge of quitting the bookselling business, I went back to basics and a few Penguin Books in my bookshelf jumped out at me. Fascinated by the charms of vintage Penguin Books, I started to purchase them with an aim of opening a Penguin Books-only bookstore.”
Lee Hee-song, owner of Paperback bookstore / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
The name of the store comes from how Penguin Books revolutionized publishing through lightweight, affordable paperback editions, though they were not the first of their kind.
"I became more interested in the history and significance of Penguin Books as I collected them. Penguin Books was launched by Sir Allen Lane in 1935, inspired by a lack of quality books at bookstalls during his train trip to visit Agatha Christie.
"Penguin Books led to the popularization of paperbacks. Among the early Penguin Books series, most of them were existing fiction and non-fiction works and Lane purchased rights for paperback editions and published them with original designs," Lee explained.
At Paperback, Lee decided to only feature Penguin Books published from its establishment in 1935 until founder Lane passed away in 1970.
“I think the time under Allen Lane's reign was the golden age of Penguin Books and many collectors also seek books published during that time. So I decided to concentrate on books from this period," he explained.
Among some 5,000 Penguin Books and imprints published during the time, Lee collected about 1,500 items.
"It is virtually impossible to collect them all, but I am trying to gather as many as possible. I am continuing to purchase them after opening Paperback last month," he said.
Best known for its Penguin logo and tri-band grid, Penguin Books has become one of the most recognizable designs in the world. "It was not very unique, but such intuitive and simple design with color-coded scheme made a strong impression, becoming an exemplar of book design until today," he said.
Though the orange Penguins are the most common and well-known, there are seven more colors, each representing different genres ― green for mystery and crime; red for drama; dark blue for biography; purple for essay; cerise for travel and adventure; grey for world affairs; and yellow for miscellaneous such as puzzle and crossword.
“One of Our Submarines” by Edward Young is the 1,000th book in the Penguin Book series and the cover is decorated with laurel wreath design in celebration. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Not all Penguin Books are valued the same. At Paperback, cheaper books start from around 5,000 won but rarer items may exceed 100,000 won.
"First, early Penguin Books published in 1935 are highly valued. Other rare series include the short-lived Penguin Illustrated Classics Edition ― especially the first in the series 'Pride and Prejudice' in 1938 ― and paperback picture books," he said. "Penguin Books published during World War II are also rare as fewer books were printed due to a lack of materials and many of them were destroyed during the war."
Also prized are specifically numbered Penguin Books in their own series.
“This is the 1,000th book in the series, 'One of Our Submarines,' an autobiography of Penguin Books designer Edward Young. In celebration, they added laurel wreaths around the famous penguin logo and the number 1,000 which replaced the typical Penguin Books typography above the tile,” he said.
Lee is a bookshop owner who understands the time and memory recorded in secondhand books. He showed a copy of Anthony Berkeley's "Not to Be Taken" from Penguin Books with a word "away" scribbled in pencil under the title.
"This is a rare book and I was so excited when I acquired it. However, when I opened the shipment, I found this doodling and moaned over the damage. I first thought of rubbing it out with an eraser, but later changed my mind to keep it as it is. That is the charm of a secondhand book," Lee said.
In addition to such visible marks, Lee found a variety of things between the leaves of the Penguin Books he gathered for Paperback, ranging from letters and photographs to envelopes.
"I inspected each book, but I didn't take any inserts away because I want the buyer to feel the joy of unexpected discovery as I did," he said.
Visitors look around Paperback, a second-hand book shop only sells vintage Penguin Books from 1935 to 1970, in Itaewon, Seoul. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
After the COVID-19 situation gets better, Lee plans to offer book club style gatherings to share his knowledge on the history of Penguin Books.
"Penguin Books was a game-changer in the publishing industry by providing affordable yet high-quality fiction and non-fiction paperbacks. They also published lesser-known film review magazines and sheet music collections. The more you get to know Penguin Books, the more there is to like," he said.
Paperback is located at 25 Noksapyeong-daero 46-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. For more information about the bookstore, visit www.paperback.co.kr.