
As the ensuing investigation and trial reveal the true identity of the murderer, Dostoyevsky’s dark masterpiece evokes a world where the lines between innocence and corruption, good and evil, blur and everyone’s faith in humanity is tested. Only Sonya, a downtrodden prostitute, can offer the chance of redemption. But as he embarks on a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with Porfiry, a suspicious detective, Raskolnikov is pursued by the growing voice of his conscience and finds the noose of his own guilt tightening around his neck. He imagines himself to be a great man, a Napoleon: acting for a higher purpose beyond conventional moral law. Raskolnikov, a destitute and desperate former student, wanders through the slums of St Petersburg and commits a random murder without remorse or regret. Published: 6th November 2008 (out of print, hard to find due to a small print run)


These four titles are different to the remainder of the series as they were published separately by Penguin India, are religious texts (rather than classics) and were not designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith. How many Penguin Clothbound Classics are there?Īt present count there are 72 titles in the series so far, though it depends if you consider the India Special Editions (4 titles) as part of the series. They have a wonderful tactile feel, with ribbon bookmarks and look beautiful on the shelf. As she describes it, the series ‘harks back to the world of Victorian bindings and a golden age of book binding’. They are beautiful design objects in which motifs from the stories (sometimes developed in collaboration with illustrators like Despotica) are worked into patterns with bold color combinations. Who is the Penguin Clothbound Classics designer?Īward-winning Penguin designer Coralie Bickford-Smith is responsible for these beautiful hard-cover designs, which are foil stamped into linen. For more information, see my disclosures here. Please note: This post contains affiliate links. I’m lucky enough to have most of these titles at home! As much as I try to keep my home library minimal, I’ve held onto these timeless classics, slowly adding to my own collection as the number of titles has expanded over the years.

I can still remember when the first editions were released a decade ago. Spotting them in my local bookstore, I started collecting these beautiful designs. This gorgeous series of Penguin Clothbound Classics has long been one of my favorite book collections.
