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Core77 - Blog • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:51 a.m.
A Bizarre Book-Based Furniture Piece from 1939
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This delightfully bizarre Penguin Donkey was designed in 1939 by Viennese architect Egon Riss. It was commissioned by the then-new Penguin Books, a British publishing house that had been founded just four years earlier, and would be produced by British furniture company Isokon.
The idea was that the piece would perfectly fit Penguin-sized paperbacks in its sides in several orientations, while the center channel would hold periodicals. The piece's name came from both its corporate sponsor and its ungainly shape.
The timing of the project was lousy: 1939 was also the year that Hitler decided to invade Poland, and before long, wartime shortages of plywood cause production to cease. Less than 100 units were produced.
The idea was that the piece would perfectly fit Penguin-sized paperbacks in its sides in several orientations, while the center channel would hold periodicals. The piece's name came from both its corporate sponsor and its ungainly shape.
The timing of the project was lousy: 1939 was also the year that Hitler decided to invade Poland, and before long, wartime shortages of plywood cause production to cease. Less than 100 units were produced.
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