The Penguin Ronald Searle

Searle had a long-standing association with UK publishers Penguin Books. They commissioned him to illustrate a collection of paperback editions (some of which he had illustrated the hardback editions-see Book Covers section).

'The Painted Veil' looks like a re-use of a portrait of W. Somerset Maugham originally published in Punch magazine.

The next one was also published in Radio Times illustrating Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men'

Of course Penguin also reprinted the essential collections of Searle's cartoons and St Trinians

Also a fine collection not published in the USA (reprinting some images made for American periodical Holiday magazine)

Searle finalized the 'penguin self-portrait' gag as a Searle-mask wearing bird!

(Thanks to Stephen Nadler for the above image)

Penguin also published the Molesworth books and Refugees

Book Covers

Aside from his own books Searle has illustrated countless book covers-he was so prolific  in the 50s that it's unsure how many exactly he did!  I've collated here as many as I could find.  Some titles I was unable to trace images for).

A Roof Over Your Head by Bill Naughton, The Pilot Press, London (1945)

Tales of the Supernatural Anthology.  (1947)

'White Coolie' by Ronald Hastain (1947)

'The Confidence Man' by Herman Melville (1948)

'That Winter' by Merle Miller (1948)

  'With My Little Eye' by Roy Fuller (1948)

'Circles Round the Wagon' by Fred Gipson (1949)

'The Inconstant Moon' by Noel Langley (1949)

'The Sure Thing' by Merle Miller (1950)

'Dear Life' by H. E. Bates (1950)

'Adam and Eve in America' by Luigi Olivero (1951)

'The Plays of Sheridan' (1951)

'Billy Budd & Other Stories' by Herman Melville (1951)

'Number 9' A P Herbert (1951)

'An Evening At The Larches' Harry Hearson & J. C. Trewin (1951)

 'The Way to Glory' by j d scott (1952)

'Willa, You're Wanted' by Affleck  Graves (1952)

'London So Help Me!' by Winifred Ellis (1952)

'Charley Moon' by Reginald Arkell (1953)

'Hemlock and After' by Angus Wilson (1953)

 'Jorkens Borrows Another Whiskey' by Lord Dunsany (1954) 

 'Jumping Joan & Other Stories' by C.H.B. Kitchin (1954)

'Anglo Saxon Attitudes' by Angus Wilson (1956)

'La Signora Della Torre' John Symonds (1957)

'My Uncle Harry' by Geoffrey Willans (1957)

'Un alligatore che si chiama Margherita' Charles Terrot (1957)

'Il diavolo si fa frate'

James Norman

Editore: Longanesi, Milano, (1958)

'To My Astonishment' by Diana Graves (1958)

 'The Gay Twenties' by J.C. Trewin (1958) 

 'Destined Meeting' by Leslie Bell (1959)

'A Phoenix Too Frequent' by Christopher Fry (1959)

'The Anger of Achilles' by Robert Graves (1960)

Le Vent des Pins (1958), translated as 'Welcome Honourable Visitors' (1960)

'Steiner's Tour' by Philip O' Connor (1960)

John Steinbeck: "Of mice and men" and "Cannery Row".

Penguin Books 1964.

'The Peter Principal' by L.J. Peter & R. Hull (1971)

'Lady L' by Romain Gary   (1973)

(Photographed from the original artwork)

'Le Palais d'hiver' by Roger Grenier (1973)

'The Bostonians' by Henry James (1973)

'Qui est snob?' by Gonzague Saint Bris (1973)

'Three Men In A Boat' Jerome K Jerome (1981 edition)

'A Wolf in Frog's Clothing, The Best of Alphonse Allais'   (1989)

'I Have No Gun but I Can Spit: An Anthology of Satirical and Abusive Verse' by Kenneth Baker 

Published by Eyre Methuen, London, 1980

Original artwork, Cartoon Museum London

'Candy Is Dandy' by Ogden Nash (1994)

'A French Affair' by Mary Blume (1994)

‘Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker book of Food & Drink’  (2007)

'What Am I Still Doing Here?' by Roger Lewis (2011)