the Violet Apple.org.uk
News
Penguin Classics Science Fiction edition of A Voyage to Arcturus
3 June 2021
Cover to Penguin edition of A Voyage to Arcturus

The Penguin Classics Science Fiction edition of A Voyage to Arcturus is published today, in paperback, ebook and audiobook. (It was originally due to be published on the novel's centenary in September last year, but was delayed.)

The paperback is just the text of the novel (no introduction or footnotes), but the text has been well edited (it corrects all the errors I found in the old Gollancz editions, as listed here.) The paperback itself comes with an unlaminated cover, which has a nice texture, but I suspect the spine will crease easily.

The audiobook is narrated by actor Steve John Shepherd, perhaps best known in the UK for a 2010–2013 stint on Eastenders. He has also recorded the audiobook for Penguin's edition of The Iliad. It's 11 hours, 9 minutes long, and you can hear a good-length sample via Apple Books. (I recently added a page listing audiobook editions of Arcturus.)

Find out more at the book's page on Penguin's site.

(Just a note: The ebook and paperback are of course available via Amazon, and on that site it's possible to buy the ebook (currently £3.99) and add the Audible version for £2.99. At £6.98, this is cheaper than Apple are currently selling the audiobook (£7.99). The trouble is, at least at the moment, this automatic purchase of the audiobook doesn't get you the Penguin audiobook, as there are several audio version of Arcturus available.)

All news items