What do The Unpleasantness at The Bellona Club, by Dorothy L. Sayers, Gone to Earth, by Mary Webb, and Carnival, by Compton Mackenzie have in common? They are numbers 5, 9 and 10 on Penguin’s list. We will discuss characters, developments and the historical context for each of the novels.

Can these books be easily classified? We’ll be thinking about standards that define a novel as high, middle or low-brow. What can those first ten titles tell us about 1935, the year that Penguin was founded?

Any unabridged copy of the titles will be suitable.  Please read chapters 1 – 24 (‘Journey’s End’) of Carnival, for session one.