Smaller than a breadbox, bigger than a TV remote, the average book fits into the human hand with a seductive nestling, a kiss of texture, whether of cover cloth, glazed jacket, or flexible paperback. – John Updike

Today is international Paperback Book Day. The cause for the celebration today is that British publisher Allen Lane launched what would become Penguin Books, and they released their first paperback book on July 30, 1935. The video below offers a pithy historical take on the birth of the Penguin paperback line. It’s no spoiler to mention that Lane and Penguin didn’t create the paperback book, but they do derserve credit for popularizing the very portable reads.