Penguins on the couch Penguin Books and the psychologisation of Britain, c.1945-c.1980 Gavin Miller

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Miller, Gavin, 1971- author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in publishing and book culture

Cambridge elements. Elements in publishing and book culture 2514-8524

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Psychology.

Penguin (Firm).

Publishers and publishing.

Mass media and culture.

Great Britain.

Genre:

History

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2026

Summary:

"Penguin Books’ extensive and affordable non-fiction list brought psychological ideas to a mass-market British readership. Even modestly successful titles sold thousands of copies per annum, while bestsellers could sell hundreds of thousands over their lifetime. Covering a period from the mid-1940s to around 1980, Penguins on the Couch shows how psychological ideas were filtered and shaped by the inner life of Penguin Books as a commercial publisher with a commitment to professionalism, public education, and progressive politics. Penguin supplied and built a market for psychological knowledge in an era when these ideas were increasingly important in clinical settings, in childcare and education, in progressive politics, and in the need to make sense of one’s life as an autonomous individual"-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

Penguin books

Psychologisation

Selling the Psy disciplines

Pelicanising the Psy disciplines

The elusive ‘general reader’

Paperbacks and hardbacks

Cultural authority

Sex at paperback prices

Challenges to the Psy disciplines

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed August 18, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version Miller, Gavin, 1971- Penguins on the couch

ISBN:

9781009487573

1009487574

OCLC:

1602951983

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license