Why do people buy these Penguin Clothbound Classics? 

Yeah, it's a well known issue, all of the printing rubs off and if you remove the label it all comes off with that too, but they all have the labels on them. My friend works in textiles and he told me if you spray it with hairspray before you read it, that should seal the pattern in and it won't wear off in the same way, He did his and it worked.

If I go for hardback I tend to buy everymans...I love how it looks on the shelf and the quality is wayyy better

I had the exact same issue. I bought one cloth-bound Penguin Classic--it was Alice in Wonderland with the flamingos. After reading it one time, the flamingos were worn off. I posted a picture on Twitter with the damage, asking if that was normal. Apparently, yes! After that, I have never purchased another one. All of the books that I buy, I want to actually read so it isn't a good combination for what I am looking for. I usually end up buying a paperback Penguin Classic or Modern Penguin Classic where I also will annotate.

I have about a dozen of the Penguin Clothbound Classics because I think they are beautiful, but I've decided not to buy anymore for all the reasons you mentioned. I was reading one of them just last month and it was so tightly bound that I could barely get it to open. I read the whole book opened at about a 45 degree angle and had to strain my hands the whole time to keep it open even that much. It just wouldn't loosen up. Add to that, the worry of the cover being so easily ruined and it made for a very uncomfortable reading experience. I love a beautiful book but in some ways you just can't beat a comfortable, worn out, used paperback. It's like putting on a soft pair of old beat up slippers. 😉

I’m glad someone else feels this way. These editions are heavy and unpleasant to hold, etc. I wish they were lots better!

On Vanity Fair, it really is one of the great English novels, isn't it? Always a pleasure to hear someone extolling its virtues, because somehow the book rarely seems to be given due prominence by the online reading community. Now, on bindings, this copy sounds like a prime candidate for a homemade dustcover - standard practice for me in the case of those Macmillan pocket editions with the horrible powder blue bookcloth which appears to have been designed to attract dirt. The main selling point for those is that they are sewn - unlike a lot of trade hardbacks which are effectively perfect bound softcovers glued into a stiff case - and likely to be fit for multiple re-readings. If these Penguins are similarly well made, yes I'd consider them, but only for books that are likely to get an abnormal amount of use, and they'd get a brown paper wrapper straight away. That said, I'd check AbeBooks for Folio Society copies first, which often go for a song.

You are wrong, you are certainly the kind of person to influence someone like me to read Vanity Fair. I've got a beautiful Folio Society copy I was given as a present years ago but was never tempted to crack it open before. Will certainly do so now! Andvyour review of the clothbound penguins is spot on. The rubbing off of the font is a well known issue.

This is why (if I'm buying a classic in hardback) I tend towards the Everyman Classics. The design is quite dull, but they are sewn in and made of acid-free paper. They don't offer the same "eye candy" value on the shelf, but I mostly buy books to read. If a cover is particularly damaged, I have acid-free A3 paper which I can cover it with. I've heard other booktubers mention this issue with Penguin Clothbound Classics, but thank you for going into it in more detail. PS: You have encouraged me to read Vanity Fair, for what it's worth!

Am mentally pushing all the books on my bed aside to make room for Vanity Fair.

Well I think they look great and if they’re a bit worn after reading that’s also the beauty of them!!

I'm right with you on this one. I think I prefer the feel (and the relative durability) of a Penguin Classic anyway!

There is something unbelievably tacky about a hardbound book without a sewn binding. It’s just a paperback with delusions of grandeur. There was even a time when Dover used to sew its paperbacks. Quality is going down, but fortunately not from every publisher.

I can't stand the feel of the clothbound classics covers. I haven't gone beyond that! I am now collecting Everyman for classic literature, second hand where possible (like the majority of my books). I love the Everyman's simplicity, their covers with or without dust jackets feel fine, the slightly off-white pages are pleasant on the eye, and the books seem to be well made.

I've bought them from Ebay and Thrift Books. I like the way they look on my shelf and I try to just buy the ones I have already read so that it's a little treat to go on my book shelf rather than something I purchase to read.

i did think you were the kind of mammal who'd love becky sharpe..and i'm glad you are...loved your review of penguin classic hard covers.

This is one reason why I wish booktubers showed the physical book (if they have it) more and more in detail. We don't have much variation in book types and (imo) quality where I live. So it's easy to figure out the details of a book. But I have once or twice wanted to buy a book that is not available here and tried to figure out the size, quality and overall feel of the book by checking out youtube reviews. It wasn't successful. Since they are talking about a book and have the video format available for showcasing it I wish booktubers would hold the book, turn it this way and that way, open it, browse it. And now, when shitty glue binding is normal in expensive hardcovers, I think it would be helpful for some to see the binding too. It doesn't even need to be specifically explaining it, just handling the book so online shoppers get a feel of what it is like - just like you did in this video! We often want to show others beautiful things, post an angled picture of the golden shiny print instead of showing how one usually sees it: reflecting light so that it's hard to read the words on the cover. Or like in this collection's case: how the cover holds smudges and the beautiful art fades in one read. Sorry for the long comment, perhaps it's not a topic creators feel paying attention to but I haven't voiced these thoughts before and this might as well be the place I did 🤷🏼

I don't buy the Penguin cloth bound because they are not durable enough. There are so many other nice editions to choose from

I wonder if the sprays I use to set my watercolor paintings would seal the cover print that is rubbing off? I will try that and see if that protects the paint that comes off!

The issue of fading of the cover doesn't bother me much. The issue is the way the book spine holds up and the print doesn't fade.

I bought the complete Jane Austen in these as they were on offer for a steal, the first one I read the cover rubbed off. So yes, these are now not reading copies for me, I was hoping they had improved since then as there are some beautiful ones in the shops.

Thriftbooks sent me a Franklin Library leather and gold seven dollar Vanity Fair. A little heavy, sure. Planning to inhabit the text for about three weeks at the speed of three chapters a day. Expect to enjoy it as much as you said I would. Am combining it with Downtown My Manhattan by Pete Hamill. The other vanity fair a hundred years later. Thanks for the push.

I have one of the Clothbound classics. My issue is with the barcode sticker on the back. Try taking it off, and you're left with residue from the glue on the cloth. Not great for a premium product.

The Oxford Classics paperback of Vanity Fair has (some of?) the original drawings, although the font looks a bit archaic. For these clothbound Penguins, if the paperback Penguin Classics version has some artwork (I'm thinking of the original sketches that accompany the Penguin version of Dickens), would the clothbound editions include them?

All you need to do is make a paper jacket for the penguin clothbound classics to use while you are actually reading it. Xxx

What is your opinion on leather backed books?

I have multiple copies of many classics, these I buy for the colorful designs by Coralie-Bickford Smith. I'm such a bibliophile collector--that this suffices.

Same experience here. Horrible quality. I received for my birthday Monte Cristo, Metamorphoses and Huckleberry Finn. All of the cover and spine started rubbing off on every single one. Had to read them holding on to the edges of the books avoiding the artwork and title.

These clothbound editions are mostly aesthetical and that is their selling point. I do only own one for this exact reason (Frankenstein), however I do like it, the selection of texts in it is good. However, when reading it, I do wrap this type of book in DIY a dust jacket. The glue, however, for me holds just fine.

you said it, "its a treat"

Chiltern are good quality but a little small. Have you heard of them?

Omg, your intro! 😂

I'm sure there are some species that can hear sounds this quiet.

I own the Tales of 1001 nights and is gorgeous but the printing certainly rubbed off quickly. The translation is the Malcolm and Ursula Lyons' one , really acclaimed as one of the best. It's so sad the poor quality.

I agree. I wanted to read Anna Karenina but it was only available in clothbound. I think people know these editions aren't good and buy the paperbacks making them frequently sold out.

Goodpoints😊

You’ve convinced me to dust off my copy of Vanity Fair 👍

The penguin clothbound are terrible editions! I’m so disappointed in them and I’m glad that I only bought three. I got rid of two because I don’t want them rubbing off on me or anything else and it looks crappy on the shelf. I did keep one because I do love The story and want a copy of that, but I’m just shocked at the poor production values involved with those.

I wonder if you are supposed to use those put on and take off book covers while you are reading them?

Why I only buy Folio Society or Easton Press. I favour Folio Society mostly because of the art and they are English; being in Australia they are easy to get. However, American classics I will always opt for Easton Press if I can. They are unfortunately difficult and extremely expensive to get out of the states. Just on cleaning books like that mark you showed... I use Johnson & Johnson baby wipes. The ones that a free of everything. Very light dabbing or slight wipe usually does the trick. Just need to be careful not to get the book too wet.

Man, where may I apply for their services? Even second hand books are draining me pockets, all in confusion

love looking at these at bookstores but they're definitely not in the quality you would expect from the price tag

Agreed, they're horrible, just for decoration, not actual reading. I'm surprised that they've been on the market for so many years; surely people have complained.

Hmm….think that I may steer clear of the Penguin Clothbound Classics then.

Like most on here, I find the Clothbound Classics hugely over rated. Have been collecting SE of the classics for a while now and, compared to what else is out there, these Penguin editions are over priced and (IMO) not even that attractive. Apart from the same issue everyone else has with rubbing and fading, my copy of Persuasion in this set needs replacing because the author/title is completely blurred and barely legible. Intend to read Vanity Fair this year so thanks for the review. Bit miffed about the Penguin surveys - been doing them for years and got zilch in return, so well done on that.

The biggest problem is the bookmark breaks.

Y not

This is a real problem with Penguin. All of their newer editions are of poor quality. At *least* since the lovely black spine livery returned. That older penguin you found from the 70s - 90s is of better quality paper and binding than the corresponding overpriced PB from today, let alone those thin covered, quickly worn away novelty HB's you pay more for. Strictly for the Young Adult book decor crowd.

I don’t care for those editions at all. They look like a GCSE project to me!

Sorry you didn’t love Bleak House. I’ve read it 3 times…obviously I love it. Not Vanity Fair lover…it was fine.

Right! very unforunate

We all know that happen. But their are collecting books. There arw not for every day use.

Penguin’s only making books for people who like to leave them unread on the shelf for years now.

Way too much bass and table-proximity echo in your audio. You could really use a separate microphone instead of relying on your camera mic.

Penguin has a deal on these days of 3 for £33, which is not a bad price for 3 hardback classic books

Penguin Clothbound = 🗑️. The stickers fall off whenever you barely touch them!

I bought 1,001 Nights and almost instantly regretted it. The finish is already coming off, paper feels cheap, and the translation is horrible. No music or elegance in the style--just a hard, straight translation, like a signaler translating Morse Code. Stay away!

Your diction is really low and too difficult to listen to....sorry!