MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
March 14 – March 20, 2008 Edition
Penguin Launches
E-Book Classics
With Added Features
NEW YORK, NY/3/17/08–Penguin Group (USA) will launch a line of classics in e-book format this May, beginning with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The new line will have many added features, including reviews from the book’s original publication, film clips, a chronology of Austen’s life and times, along with recipes, social etiquette and other information about the period.
Penguin Group CEO John Makinson said: "The e-book is gaining acceptance as an alternative to the printed text and we are keen to test the possibilities of the electronic format. Penguin Classics is a great place to start. We shall invite readers beyond the pages of these much-loved books, offering additional background, context and insight into the work."
In addition to Pride and Prejudice, nine additional classics will be offered, including Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, and Great Expectations. The company also plans to launch a similar list in the UK, which will feature all new fiction titles, beginning March 17, 2008. New fiction eventually will be offered in the U.S. as well.
At a luncheon for journalists in New York last week, Makinson said the e-books will be compatible with all e-book devices and will sell for $8, the same as the printed edition. E-book sales during the first two months of 2008 are running ahead of the previous year, Makinson said.
