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{{short description|Trade book publisher, part of Penguin Random House, owned by Bertelsmann}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Penguin Group
| image = Penguin_Publishing_Group_logo.png
| parent = [[Penguin Random House]]
| foundation = {{Start date and age|df=y|1935|7|30}}<br />(as Penguin Books)
| founder = {{hlist|[[Allen Lane]]|[[V. K. Krishna Menon]]|Richard Lane|John Lane}}<ref>[https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/company-history/ Company history], Penguin Random House</ref>
| location = 20 Vauxhall Bridge Rd, [[London]], United Kingdom
| products = Books
| revenue = {{Decrease}} [[Pound sterling|£]]1.05&nbsp;billion (2010)
| divisions = 
| homepage = {{URL|penguin.co.uk}}
}}

'''Penguin Group''' is a British trade book publisher and part of [[Penguin Random House]], which is owned by the German [[media company|media]] [[Conglomerate (company)|conglomerate]] [[Bertelsmann]]. The new company was created by a [[Mergers and acquisitions|merger]] that was finalised on 1 July 2013, with [[Bertelsmann]] initially owning 53% of the joint venture, and [[Pearson PLC]] initially owning the remaining 47%.<ref>Mark Sweney [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/29/penguin-random-house-book-publisher "Penguin and Random House merger to create biggest book publisher ever seen"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 29 October 2012</ref> Since 18 December 2019, Penguin Random House has been wholly owned by Bertelsmann.<ref>Spahr, Wolfgang (18 December 2019) [https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8546649/bertelsmann-penguin-random-house "BMG Parent Bertelsmann to Acquire Full Stake in Penguin Random House"] ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''</ref>

[[Penguin Books]] has its registered office in the [[City of Westminster]], London.<ref>"[http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/aboutus/index.html#question1 26. What is Penguin Books Limited's company registration number?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711051613/http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/aboutus/index.html |date=11 July 2009 }}" Penguin Books. Retrieved 28 August 2009.</ref><ref name="Map">"[http://www.westminster.gov.uk/maps/ Maps] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905100803/http://www.westminster.gov.uk/maps/ |date=5 September 2011 }}." [[City of Westminster]]. Retrieved 28 August 2009.</ref>

Its British division is Penguin Books Ltd. Other separate divisions are located in the [[United States]], [[Ireland]], [[New Zealand]], [[India]], [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[China]], [[Brazil]] and [[South Africa]].

==History==
[[Penguin Books]] Ltd. (est. 1935) of the United Kingdom was bought by [[Longman|Pearson Longman]] in 1970. In 1975, Penguin acquired the American hardcover firm [[Viking Press]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/11/11/archives/viking-press-is-sold-to-penguin-books.html|title=Viking Press Is Sold to Penguin Books|last=Whitman|first=Alden|date=11 November 1975|work=The New York Times|access-date=13 September 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 1986, Penguin acquired the [[New American Library]], a mass-market paperback publisher.<ref>{{Cite news| last = McDowell| first = Edwin| title = PENGUIN AGREES TO BUY NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY| work = The New York Times| date = October 1986| access-date = 2 December 2018| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/01/garden/penguin-agrees-to-buy-new-american-library.html}}</ref> In 1995, Penguin acquired the independent publisher Donald I. Fine.<ref>{{Cite journal| issn = 0000-0019| volume = 242| issue = 37| pages = 10–11| title = Penguin acquires Donald I. Fine| journal = Publishers Weekly| accessdate = 28 February 2021| date = 11 September 1995| url = http://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&sw=w&issn=00000019&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA17367675&sid=googleScholar&linkaccess=abs}}</ref>

Penguin Group (USA) Inc. was formed in 1996 as a result of the merger between Penguin Books USA and the [[G. P. Putnam's Sons|Putnam Berkley Group]] after Penguin acquired Putnam Berkley from [[MCA Inc.|MCA]].<ref>{{Cite news| issn = 0362-4331| last = Lyall| first = Sarah| title = Penguin Is Buying MCA's Putnam Berkley for $336 Million| work = The New York Times| access-date = 2 December 2018| date = 27 November 1996| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/27/business/penguin-is-buying-mca-s-putnam-berkley-for-336-million.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/media/features/5618/index1.html|title=Now for the Grann Finale|website=NYMag.com|date=21 January 2002 |access-date=23 May 2018}}</ref> The newly formed company was originally called Penguin Putnam Inc., but, in 2003, it changed its name to Penguin Group (USA) Inc. to reflect the parent Pearson PLC's grouping of all the Penguin companies worldwide under the supervisory umbrella of Pearson's own Penguin Group division.

The different Penguin companies use many [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]]s, many of which used to be independent publishers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/aboutus/index.html|title=Penguin Group (USA): About Us|access-date=12 August 2005|archive-date=13 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913072023/http://us.penguingroup.com/static/html/aboutus/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Penguin Group (USA) Inc. also operates its own speaker's bureau that books speaking engagements for many of the publisher's authors. In 2011, the online writing and publishing community [[Book Country]] was launched as a subsidiary of Penguin Group USA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bookcountry.com/AboutUs/Penguin.aspx |title=What's the Penguin About? |publisher=Bookcountry.com |access-date=27 February 2014}}</ref>

On 11 April 2012, the [[United States Department of Justice]] filed ''[[United States v. Apple (2012)|United States v. Apple Inc.]]'', naming [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], Penguin, and four other major publishers as defendants.  The suit alleged that they conspired to [[price-fixing|fix prices]] for [[e-books]] and weaken [[Amazon.com]]'s position in the market in violation of [[United States antitrust law|antitrust law]].<ref name="washington post DOJ sues">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/justice-department-files-suit-against-apple-publishers-report-says/2012/04/11/gIQAzyXSAT_story.html |title=Justice Department sues Apple, publishers over e-book prices |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=11 April 2012 |access-date=1 June 2014 |author=Mui, Ylan Q. and Hayley Tsukayama}}</ref> In December 2013, a federal judge approved a settlement of the antitrust claims, in which Penguin and the other publishers paid into a fund that provided credits to customers who had overpaid for books due to the price-fixing.<ref name="usatoday settlements rolling out">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/03/25/amazon-settlements-ebooks/6869033/ |title=E-book price fixing settlements rolling out |work=USA Today |date=25 March 2014 |access-date=1 June 2014 |author=Molina, Brett}}</ref>

On 26 October 2012, Pearson entered into talks with rival conglomerate [[Bertelsmann]], over the possibility of combining their respective publishing companies, Penguin Group and [[Random House]]. The houses were considered two of the 'Big Six' publishing companies prior to the merger,<ref>{{cite web |last=Edgecliffe |first=Andrew |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eaf8eaaa-1eac-11e2-be82-00144feabdc0.html |title=Penguin and Random House in deal talks |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=26 October 2012 |access-date=27 February 2014}}</ref> which became the 'Big Five' upon its completion. The [[European Union]] approved the [[Penguin Random House]] merger on 5 April 2013.

==Imprints==
Penguin Group [[Imprint (trade name)|imprint]]s include the following:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.penguin.com/publishers|title=Penguin: Publishers/Imprints|access-date=28 April 2018|archive-date=27 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127061401/https://www.penguin.com/publishers/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{Columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[Avery Publishing]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/avery.html |title=Avery – Publishers – Penguin Group (USA) |publisher=Us.penguingroup.com |date=4 September 2001 |access-date=27 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105044548/http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/avery.html |archive-date=5 January 2014 }}</ref>
* [[Berkley Books]]
** [[Ace Books]]
** [[Jove Books]]
** [[New American Library]] (NAL)
*** [[E. P. Dutton]]
*** [[E. P. Dutton|Dutton Children's]]
*** [[Plume (publisher)|Plume]]
*** Obsidian
*** Onyx
*** [[Roc Books]]
*** [[Signet Books]]
*** [[Signet Classics]]
*** Signet Eclipse
*** Topaz
* [[Cartoon Network]] Books
* [[Companhia das Letras]] (70%)
* [[Dial Press]]
** [[Dial Press|Dial Books]]
** [[Dial Press|Dial Books for Young Readers]]
* [[DK (publisher)|DK]]
** [[Alpha Books]]
** DK Eyewitness Travel
* [[Firebird Books]]
* [[Frederick Warne & Co]]
* [[G. P. Putnam's Sons]]
** Amy Einhorn
** Marian Wood
** Coward-McCann
** [[G. P. Putnam's Sons|G. P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers]]
* [[Grosset & Dunlap]]
** Charter Books (Ace Charter)
** Bedtime Stories
** Junior Library
** Platt & Munk
* HP Books (founded 1964, primarily an automotive book publisher)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/hpbooks.html |title=HPBooks – Publishers – Penguin Group (USA) |publisher=Us.penguingroup.com |access-date=27 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140216054716/http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/hpbooks.html |archive-date=16 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Kokila<ref>{{cite web|url=https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/announcements/penguin-young-readers-to-launch-new-imprint-kokila/|title=Penguin Young Readers to Launch New Imprint Kokila|publisher=Penguin Random House |access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref>
* [[Ladybird Books]]
* Pamela Dorman Books
* [[Pelican Books]]
* [[Penguin Books]]
** [[Awa Press]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.penguin.co.nz/browse/by-imprint/awa-press |title=Awa Press &#124; Penguin Books New Zealand |publisher=Penguin.co.nz |access-date=27 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303211859/http://www.penguin.co.nz/browse/by-imprint/awa-press |archive-date=3 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
** [[Hamish Hamilton]]
** [[Michael Joseph (publisher)|Michael Joseph]]
** [[Penguin Classics]]
** Penguin Press (founded 2003, for literary nonfiction and fiction)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/penguinpress.html |title=The Penguin Press – Publishers – Penguin Group (USA) |publisher=Us.penguingroup.com |access-date=27 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140213211558/http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/penguinpress.html |archive-date=13 February 2014}}</ref>
** Penguin Young Readers Group
*** Crash Course Books<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tagen-Dye |first1=Carly |title=John Green to Publish New Nonfiction Book About Tuberculosis: ‘Culmination of a Long Journey’ |url=https://people.com/john-green-new-nonfiction-book-about-tuberculosis-8731962 |access-date=22 October 2024 |work=People.com |date=22 October 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
*** [[Price Stern Sloan]]
*** [[Puffin Books]]
** [[Viking Press]]
*** [[Viking Press#Viking Children's|Viking Children's]]
* [[TarcherPerigee]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.penguin.com/meet/publishers/tarcherperigee/|title=TARCHERPERIGEE|work=penguingroup|access-date=25 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702145815/http://www.penguin.com/meet/publishers/tarcherperigee/|archive-date=2 July 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Philomel Books]]
* [[Portfolio (publisher)|Portfolio]]
* Razorbill
* [[Riverhead Books]]
* [[Sentinel (publisher)|Sentinel]]
* Speak
}}

== See also ==
* The other '[[Big Five (publishers)|Big Five]]' English-language book publishers:
** [[Hachette (publisher)|Hachette]], [[Holtzbrinck Publishing Group|Holtzbrinck]]/[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]], [[HarperCollins]] and [[Simon & Schuster]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fictionmatters.com/2010/03/05/who-are-%E2%80%9Cthe-big-six%E2%80%9D/ |title=Who Are 'The Big Six'? |publisher=Fiction Matters |date=5 March 2010 |access-date=16 January 2014}}</ref>
* [[Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award]]
* [[Pearson Education]]
* ''[[Penguin Group (USA) Inc. v. American Buddha]]''

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website}}

{{BIG6_PUBLISHERS_USA}}
{{Penguin Random House}}
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[[Category:Book publishing companies based in London]]
[[Category:Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Publishing companies established in 1935]]
[[Category:British companies established in 1935]]
[[Category:1935 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Bertelsmann subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Penguin Random House]]

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