"If you're standing looking at those books you know subconsciously or by implication that all of these books are going to be OK," said Peter Blake, the company's Australian sales director who conceived the idea of the series.

"Even if you've not heard of Geoffrey Robertson's Crimes Against Humanity you think, 'It's part of the collection, I trust the brand and it's surrounded by all these other classics by authors like Waugh or Fitzgerald so it must be OK.' "

To have a look at the entire series, visit Popular Penguins.