Morris's Disappearing Bag

For years Picture Puffins have come in varied shapes and sizes, and booksellers have been driven quietly bonkers wondering how best to display them. 25th September 1980 will see the end of all that (or at least the beginning of almost the end). With a bumper bunch of new titles and welcome reissues, in comes the new style Picture Puffin.

It's much bigger than before, has a new logo and at least one edge is the new standard 229mm. For some books, like Captain Pugwash this will be the spine, for others, like The Wind Blows, the top edge. The covers will still come titles back and front so that books can be displayed either way up, and some will have a white border. There's a new standard price too - at least for the first lot - 80p.

In the midst of all this standardisation it's a great belief to find Puffin recognise that being true to the book is more important than being to booksellers.

Another proof that small is beautiful, and thank heavens for the recognition that its size and proportion are an essential part of the book's appeal. The paperback is only marginally smaller than the original hardback. The humour of Rosemary Well's drawings is irresistible - one look and you're smiling - and this story of a rather 'different' Christmas present should sell so fast that how to display its non-standard format becomes an irrelevant issue.