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Thank you for visiting the Persephone Books website. If you don’t see the answer to your question here, please e-mail us at info@persephonebooks.co.uk, call us at 01225 425050 (outside the UK +44 1225 425050) or write to us at Persephone Books, 8 Edgar Buildings, Bath, BA1 2EE.
Where can I buy a Persephone book?
Persephone books are available to buy from our website, our Bath shop or your local bookshop. You can also contact us directly to place an order.
How much does a Persephone book cost?
The Grey editions are £15 each or £40 for three. The seventeen Classic editions are £12 each.
What is the difference between a Grey edition and a Classic edition?
We have re-issued seventeen of our bestsellers in more 'bookshop-friendly' editions i.e. paperbacks with pictures on the front. The text and paper is identical to that used in the 152 grey Persephone books, but because the Classics do not have the full-colour endpapers, they retail at £12 instead of £15. All seventeen Classics are available here.
Can I buy Persephone books from abroad?
Yes: we send books all over the world. Please order via the website.
For customers in Europe, we charge £27 for a grey book, £22 for a Classic; for customers in the Rest of the World (the US, Canada, Australia, etc), we charge £30 for a grey book, £24 for a Classic. This includes the cost of international shipping..
For information about customs charges, click here.
How much is postage?
In the UK, postage costs £3 per book.
For overseas customers, the books themselves cost more but shipping is included in the price.
All books are sent out in separate envelopes by Royal Mail tracked post, unless you order 6 books or more in which case they are sent together in a box by courier.
Can I buy Persephone books from my local bookshop?
Yes, you can ask your local bookshop to place an order with us. We are also stocked by a number of wonderful bookshops including John Sandoe, Foyles, Hatchards and Daunt Books (in London), The Book Hive (in Norfolk), Cogito Books (in Hexham), Kemp's (in Malton), the Hare and Hawthorn bookshop (in Hastings), Collected Books (in Durham), the Grove bookshop (in Ilkely), Beacon Hill Books (in Boston, Mass.), etc.
Do you have a catalogue?
Yes. It is available on the website. You also can look at the complete list of all our books on the website.
How much does it cost to be a Persephone subscriber?
To have one book a month arriving through your (or someone else’s) letterbox every month for 12 months costs £206 (including postage) or £108 (including postage) for six months in the UK. Order a six or twelve month gift subscription.
How long will my books take to arrive?
Within the UK we send out the books by Royal Mail second class, so they should arrive within a couple of working days after they've shipped. Of course, during busy periods such as November/December they take longer and we ask you to allow a week. We send them out in individual cardboard envelopes (no plastic packaging here at Persephone Books) that fit through a standard letter-box, thereby avoiding the dreaded ‘while you were out’ note from the post office – unless you order 6 books or more, in which case they are sent by courier in a box.
Postage overseas usually takes about five days to Europe and ten days to the rest of world; more than six books are sent together in a box and usually take about a week.
We can also rush deliver books the same day or overnight for an additional charge; please contact us for details.
Do you have a wrapping service for presents?
Yes – this costs an extra £3 per book for tissue paper, £4 per book for Cambridge Imprint patterned wrapping paper, or £8 per book for reusable fabric gift wrapping (pictured below).
A card is included in the price. When ordering, please say in the ‘message’ box which card you would like.
Do you sell your own book tokens?
Yes, we sell a Persephone Book Token. They cost £21 for one book including U.K. postage, or £52 for three, and are sent out with a copy of the Persephone Biannually, along with a note telling them who has given them the book token. These are not available overseas, however; instead we recommend the Persephone Digital Book Token.
Who prints your books?
Our books are printed by GGP in Germany. Here is a short film about the process.
Do you have any jobs available? Or work experience opportunities?
We do occasionally have jobs available working in the Persephone bookshop, yes. Please e-mail us at info@persephonebooks.co.uk with your CV and also telling us a little about your favourite Persephone book. We also offer work experience to one sixth-former every summer.
Would you like to publish my book?
No, thank you. We only publish reprints.
Would you like to publish my grandmother’s book?
Maybe. We are always delighted to hear recommendations from our readers, so do get in touch.
Do you really all stop for tea and cake every day at 4 o’clock?
Yes, certainly.