All of my Penguin English Library & Clothbound Classics!! (my prized possessions) 

Never much of a reader, but listening to you and Emma talk about books made me pick a few up :) have read 2 so far this year :D cheers everyone

The Penguin English Library books are all so stunning. I agree that they're great for annotating. And while these editions wouldn't be my choice for my first reading of a very challenging book because of the lack of notes, I do enjoy the essays at the end a lot.

I love the clothbounds! Penguin now releases them with a paper strap around the back of the book so they don’t have to put a bar code sticker on! I personally hate reading from hardbacks but I really want to have a full collection of hardback classics, so at least it’s a gorgeous one 😂 I completely get you. You have a gorgeous collection❤️

I own the entire clothbound classics collection. A lot of books 😀 I have read quite a few of them and so far I've been very lucky. I haven't ruined any of them 😂😂 I also think the notes are pretty great.

📚I love these editions and can’t wait to grow my collection. 🍂 I have beautiful cloth bound versions of A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens and a gorgeous copy of Moby Dick Herman Melville! 🥰

My Penguin Classics are my babies. I look through thrifts stores to find any

I love those editions, I don't have any of them but they're beautiful. I can't, however, just buy books for aesthetic purposes. If I'm not going to read it, then it's not worth to buy it. I don't have the money and, most especially, the space to have 3 or 4 editions of the same book, no matter how much I love them or their edition.

I like the Penguin English Library books. I'd love to get a copy of Pride and Prejudice in that edition.

Love this series so much! ❤I don't own any clothbound classics but I think I'm going to get the Pictures of Dorian Gray as my first bc it's my fav classic! I was wondering are you ever going to do a restock of your tote bag on your etsy shop?

I own two of these! 1984 and Tess of The D'urbervilles! They're so pretty

This video is so helpful, especially when someone is starting their classic reading journey! Personally I decided to collect the English Penguin Library books. I love the cover design, the price and the floppy binding. I think it's a real shame that the gorgeous Clouthbound editions are practically unreadable, if you want to keep them in good condition 🥴 Otherwise I would have loved to collect them 😕

Carolyn you have convinced me to read War and Peace and Anna Karenina. They are on my TBR. Hope to read it soon. PS love your videos💜!!! And of course Willow🐶💖

An aesthetic book collector and an ardent reader. What a grandioso combo!

I love the penguin hardbacks! I actually loved reading from them, something about the thickness of the paper and how good it feels to hold just enhances the reading experience for me! But I agree, they can be difficult to use due to how easily the cover wears off and such 😂

Hi, Carolyn! I recently bought a clothbound edition of “wuthering heights”, can’t wait for it to arrive! These videos are great to analyze the editions, specially because they are VERY expensive here (I’m brazilian) thank you!! 💙

I’ve been reading my clothbound classics and embracing the pattern partially coming off. The pages are so nice and thick!

I used to have a plan to collect the Clothbounds ever since my husband bought me Persuasion in Jane Austen Centre for our 1st wedding anniversary . Initially I thought that there was only Jane Austen in this format and so 2 months later I decided to get Sense and Sensibility, because I fell in love with the colour combination (my favourite shade of blue), but then as I was searching for it online , Amazon suggested Orlando to me and I thought I'd die of excitement :p I quickly forgot about Jane Austen, because if I ever have a choice between any book and Virginia Woolf, I always go for Virginia. And I also noticed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (my favourite book of all time) and bought it together with Orlando. It was while reading Alice from that edition that I noticed the problems with the Clothbound that you were talking about. So I've only ever read Persuasion, Alice, Orlando and Little Women from PCC (Surprisingly, Orlando & Little Women still look ok). And even though I decided not to collect them anymore, because of the lack of practicality, my husband still gets them for me for special occasions :) He got me The Picture of Dorian Gray, Great Expectations and Jane Eyre for my birthday in 2020, Mrs Dalloway for Christmas 2020 and Villette for my birthday this year :) I also got myself Wuthering Heights because it's also one of my favourite books of all time and I wanted to have it in this gorgeous edition, especially because I'm obsessed with blue :) But yeah, nowadays I've given up on getting them myself and if I do get them, it's as a gift :)

North and south is my favourite classic!!

I love those vintage books - so beautiful!! Question: Are you planning on doing a Rory Gilmore readathon this fall? I've enjoyed the previous readathons so much!

If you read any book in your shelf this year, make it North and South! I just read it this year and I loved it so much.

can relate to the dual system. For classics, I usually first read the Oxford or penguin edition on kindle, and if I really likes it, I’d get a physical copy. As for the clothbound, I do read them, but they require a bit more care than average paperback. The two I owned are still in good condition even tho they are read and annotated.

Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse are phenomenal - Virginia Woolf is such a great artist, a giant.

I'm a fan of the Penguin black spines - really good notes and intros (which I read after I've read the book!) and I think they look quite good on the shelf. All books deteriorate over time even if you don't touch them (I'm a lot older and speak from experience over decades of book buying). I am not a fan of cloth jackets because they attract dust far more than paper - if I had the money I would go for leather bindings. You have a lovely collection and it is great to see such love for books.

Watching this and planning my bookstore trip today... Also, I loved the Awakening and am considering buying another copy because I lost it. I swear every few months I still go looking for it on my shelves and am disappointed when it doesn't pop up.

I'm not a fan of the clothbound classics. For one, beauty being in the eye of the beholder, I prefer art covers over arty covers, as in paintings and such rather than patterns. For another I like to enjoy reading my treasured books as much as having a nice book on my shelf and I have not found any of these a book that inspires being held and read. They do fight back. Plus the colours in the embossing tend to rub off and reduce them to looking old very quickly. I've also rebound books myself and don't think their binding is worth the price. Luckily I have been able to donate mine to someone who collects them. I prefer to read paperback books, but I enjoy hardcovers if they are both visually and tactilely appealing.

I have 4 or 5 books of the clothbound penguin edition

I love the designs of the clothbounds so much but I kinda refuse to buy any just because of the quality I think it's unfair of penguin to put out a book that will already get ruined by removing a sticker they put on it or that already looks really worn when it's bought in store because a few people turned it in their hands Considering the prize and how popular their designs are i kind of feel like penguin ought to offer a decent quality for these books That being said I always check them out when I'm in a book store and I really do think the designs are incredible

A lovely collection. Might I suggest vintage Modern Library editions and also the hardback Everyman's Library edition. Also, you might want to check out the Mary Martin performance of Peter Pan.

You mentioned that Tess of the D'Urbervilles made you cry. Well, it made me downright angry. Loved the 1979 film adaptation with Nastassja Kinski as Tess. (I have to sort of hand wave the fact that it was directed by Roman Polanski. The two were romantically linked in 1976 when she was only 15 and he was 43. Vomit.)

I was struck by ur candor. I owned some copies for some reason other than reading them. Of course, I have no shadow of doubt over ur commitment to reading books thoroughly.

Yey! I love this series!💕📖 I am glad you have continued I do want to read the tenant of wildfell hall! And I am curently reading David Copperfield for the future book club

Could the clothbound books possibly get some sort of plastic cover/dust jacket to protect it? Maybe a something fashioned out of mylar. For my personal reading I love the black penguin classics for reading/annotating and the Everyman’s library for books I’ve already read and want a nice edition for my personal library.

I'm currently writing an essay on Villette for uni and I'd absolutely implore you to read it! Not necessarily because it's a "good" book structurally, especially when compared to Jane Eyre, but the themes and characters are so interesting and draws a lot from Charlotte Bronte's own life :) Would love to hear your thoughts on it in the future

Hi Carolyn, thanks for this video. You have a beautiful collection. Will you be doing a video on Penguin black spine editions as well? Love your channel!

I love a room with a view. I was in a classics reading group, and when we read this book I was the only person who loved it. It was a re-read for me and I had to keep pointing out all the beautiful parts, because i so desperately want others to love it like I do. The leader of the group actually DNF'd it. I was like "I do not belong here!" 🙂

What a stinker the cloth bounds have that stupid sticker on the back. Very frustrating! I've been changing out all of my old paperback versions for the Barnes and Noble Classic hardbacks. I'm really picky about the print size and readability, so I recently had a huge classics unhaul. Plus, I love the deckled edges of the pages.

How bad is the fading on the covers of those Clothbound Classics?

I'm not envious, i swear i'm not! I'm green because i live in a radioactive area 🤣🤣🤣

If you actually read the cover at will wear off. That’s a given.

The best thing about the Penguin English Library is the very comfortable Font Size.

wow - that complete Jane Austen is a for-real chunker! lol - there was once a time before E-books and Kindle when people actually carried those things around read from them - lol. Thx Carolyn, enjoyed.

Does the cloth bound edition of Wuthering Heights also include Agnes Grey in it?

Love seeing your library! I recently got a Penguin Clothbound copy of The Count Of Monte Cristo, I'm in love with the texture of the cover and the translation by the editor. Have you heard of Paper Mill Press, they have a collection of classics in a more luxe cover!

O M G you have an actual "Cranford Collection" book!!! (The Vicar of Wakefield) Fun Fact: in 2020 the international editorial RBA released a collection of classic novels using 6 of the designs of the Cranford collection as a basis for the covers, and the cover for Jane Eyre and Emma use the cover design of the book you have. The collection, which focuses on classics with either a female protagonist, a female author, or a very important female character is called "Novelas Eternas" in Spanish but it has also been released in Italian, French, and I believe English. But also, like the Clothbound Classics they look gorgeous on the shelf but wear terribly, they have been an extremely messy hit in some countries due to the release format. Christmas

I have wanted to see a video like this for quite a while - great information!!! I recently re-read the Scarlet Letter and Hawthorne's introduction/prelude/whatever-its-called was a real slog to get through, but the story itself was much easier and more enjoyable. So, WHEN you do read it, don't let the intro cause you to DNF it - the actual story is good.

Love your collections! Where do you get the cloth bound books-...Amazon?

I collect most of my classics in the clothebound edition simply because they are just so beautiful. However, I almost never take them with me because I’m scared the design might come of. So whenever I read one of them, I read the hardback at home and get a free ebook for my phone. I wish I had the courage to annotate them, but I don’t want to mess up and "ruin" my edition. It also kind of demotivates me if I have to keep Post it’s around while reading, but maybe some day. I like the paperbacks, but I can’t stand the orange on the spine. If it weren’t for that, I’d probably collect those instead

If you want to read the clothbound couldn't you cover it with a plain brown paper cover you make and then you'd be able to hold the volume and read it without damaging?

My clothbound war & peace is practically falling apart after finishing it. I kinda like it because it makes the book feel old. For a reread I’ll probably get a new one. My favorites are now Everymans Libarary classics

This video made my day, Carolyn, i absolutely loved it! Your collection is beautiful, amazing! Thanks for sharing it! 💖📚💖

Love this series!! Thank you for sharing a tour of your shelves with us ❣️

My favourite pastime now is shopping in the local charity shops for books. My favourite one is in my hometown just 5 minutes walk away. Every book is 50 uk pence (about 70 cents ?). My town I suppose would be called a bit rough and a more deprived area yet in my last trip I got a copy of The Complete Stories of Somerset Maugham (hardcover published 1951) , Graham Greene Brighton Rock (hardback 1968) and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Complete Illustrated Stories of Sherlock Holmes (all 1400 pages of them !). I have also collected all the classics of Charles Dickens (again 50p each). Your clothbound books look beautiful.

They are beautiful! Love your channel!! (Find you through Emma!🥰)

You remind me a lot of myself in my twenties (the exception being i am a man), although these days I'm a much better reader than collector -which hasn't always been the case 🙄😉 as bookworm you wd really enjoy the old bookshops in Cambridge England where i live! Glad I discovered your channel! ✌️

Sense and Sensibility. 👍The Magnificent Ambersons. 4:45> Knock Knock... Emma...emma gonna have trouble with you?. P and P good movie w/ Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson. Tried twice to get through DC.Howard's End, great movie.

i have to check all the clothbounds for marks and damage before i buy them, they're pretty hit and miss, the stickers on the back are disgusting too, i've lifted mine pretty well but theres still a residue that shows on the lighter coloured editions. they should all have a piece of card wrapped around them with a barcode on, such a bad move by penguin and it's made me think twice about collecting more.

I envy your collection,😢 I’m currently stuck with mass market collins classics, because they’re the only cheap classic publication. I don’t have any money for those beautiful copies😢 I’ll try to save up.

So much LOVE around 😁🤭

what is the largest book you have?, Im 41 years old and iv just got into historical fiction and classics thanks yo me reading some of kate moss books, im glade im not the only one my generation that likes the genre I never did when I was a teenager I was beginging to think I was turning into an old square lol. or as some say an old fogy lol.

I have learned the hard way that a good many special/collector's editions are not meant to be read. If I ever get a house I will collect special editions for aesthetics, but I don't have the room for it now.

I am totally with you. I have a box set of F Scott Fitzgerald Clothbound Books for the Book Nook but also have "reading" copird of all of his books so the special ones don't get spoiled.

I highly recommend Where Angels Fear To Tread!! :)

I'm fond of my leatherbound copy of the Blue Fairy book by Andrew Lane, I got it at Barnes and noble and it's probably the fanciest book I have.

I've yet to finish the Novel War and Peace by Tolstoy yet as current World events are happening but what is actually catching up my interest lately is The Versailles Series on Netflix i was just taking away with the outstanding period dress and Drama and lovely People i wish i could wine and dine with the leading actors of George Blagden and Alexander Vlahos Wow what an amazing work they dis as King Louis XIV and Phillipe I of Orleans.

Fascinating narrative of some wonderful classics. Would that everyone could take the time to read your set! Yes, there ARE donkeys in "David Copperfield." They play a funny role. You will see!

Thanks for the video, very informative. I recently read the clothbound Persuasion and the print actually did wear off a little. I’m going to try the Penguin English Library. Just curious: do you ever read from an e-reader? Greetings from the Netherlands!

If I ever meet you, I should remember to bring a clothbound classic and read it just for the flex:)

I have John Milton's Paradise Lost from clothbound, it's amazing, read it and sooo want to re-read it

we WILL read northanger abbey, and you will love it and add the clothbound to your collection

Hi Carolyn! I’m a new subscriber here and i just wanna asked is it better to buy penguin english library edition rather than evergreens edition? I am very torn between the two because I also want to start reading classic books, and the first books i want to read is all of Jane Austen novels. So kinda need an advise here as a newbie. 😅 i love your videos it is very calming!❤

Omg please!!! read Shirley it is one of my favorite Bronte books and it completely whisks you away into that world. I'm so sad it isn't published very commonly anymore!!

Dammn even looking at these clothbound classics makes me feel so so good🥲🥲 I'll definitely get the clothbound of my fav classics someday when I can afford them😁

It wouldn't be a Carolyn video without the landscaping neighbour😂

Mallet :)

I love your videos! Do you have any recommendations for classics from outside Europe and the US? :)

Adore this series, the next purchase will be a coupe of the little series, including the book that inspired Eyes Wide Shut!

Which clothbound books do you have your eye on next? I love Frankenstein’s cover with the human hearts on them. Great collection! I too wouldn’t read them and instead showcase them as trophies.

Where are your Wordsworth Classic covers?😂

Hello

Yaay ! Finally 😘😘😘😘😘

I collect the penguin clothbounds and now have 22. I read mostly digitally or on audio so I too buy them just for my shelves. They are beautiful.

I bought my first clothbound book and I am really hoping to get more! They are beautiful! I bought War and Peace, the hard cover one you have. I might need to get a less beautiful copy so I can read it and be messy with it haha. I just read the picture of Dorian gray so now I need it in the cloth bound edition

The Penguin English Library edition of Pride and Prejudice got me out of a long reading slump.Happy that you have a video about these editions because they are good to look at.

Wow :D I love your idea of "trophy books", I might have to do that

You have a beautiful Clothbound collection! 🌿 They would look great with ivy and fairy lights. ✨

I'd sell my soul for this collection. So beautiful. ;-;

I love the paperback english library editions! They are my favourite ♡

Stunning.

What beautiful books!

I went to purchase and United States isn't an option for shipping. Do they not ship to the US? :(

it still makes me mad how many subscribers and views you have

great collection

What is the name of the book with Birtha from Jane Eyre, I'm sorry I didn't understand when you said it and I can't read it with my poor old eyes. I would be fascinated to read that novel. I love your vlog, I learn a lot. 🙂

I have such book envy right now! I actually went right to Penguin after watching, to try to buy the PEL collection, they were having a sale so I got excited and filled my cart with 10 books, only to find they don’t ship to the US! So I shopped around for the books I most wanted, but the prices are so much higher elsewhere…Where did you get yours?

💚💚💚

I know you had Great Expectations as well in cloth bound edition, saw it in one of your videos previously. Where did it go?

I love everything about the Penguin English Classics except the titles on the spines are too small to read from any sort of distance.