The Penguin New Writing Nos. 1 40 Complete Set

London: Penguin, 1940. First edition. Softcover. Good. Complete set, numbers 1-40. 16mo. Printed card covers. Some illustrated with portraits/ photographs/ photogravures/ tailpieces/ line drawings, mainly monochrome, some coloured. Mixed condition, moderate edgewear with small chips and tears, occasional parts missing from covers, some repairs/ marks, overall fair to good. Some volumes very good, some in fair condition only with the card covers very delicate. Generally the later volumes are printed on higher quality paper and are therefore in better condition. Please see pictures. A rare complete collection of this series, which includes contributions from new and emerging writers of the time as well as established talents. Contributors include; George Orwell, W. H. Auden, Robert Graves, C. Day-Lewis, B. L. Coombes, André Chamson, Jean Paul Satre, Edith Sitwell, Graham Greene, Saul Bellow, Stephen Spender, V. S. Pritchett, Tennessee Williams, John Wain, John Hampson, J.F. Tuohy, William Goyen, George Barker, Alan Ross, James Michie, Luis Cernuda, Michael Hamburger, Anne Treneer, John Morris, Elizabeth Bowen, William Sansom, Henry Green, B.L Coombs, Jim Phelan and Rosamond Lehmann. There are very short biographies of the contributors placed at the end/front of each issue. Short stories, short stories in translation from international writers, poetry, journalistic pieces and other writings from a variety of authors and with many different themes & subjects. It’s interesting to see the changing styles from the first publication of vol. 1 in 1940 to the final book published just 10 years later in 1950. An eclectic selection, Lehman used his connections within the literary world to secure new work from both established and emerging talents coming from all social classes and nationalities.