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Penguin Donkey Mark 2 Bookcase by Ernest Race for Isokon, 1963
$1,600
£1,211.13
€1,389.17
CA$2,248.98
A$2,474.98
CHF 1,297.85
MX$30,036.14
NOK 16,222.90
SEK 15,358.59
DKK 10,370.87
About the Item
Excited to show you the petite Penguin Donkey Mark 2 bookcase by Ernest Race for Isokon, 1963, England. Originally designed in the late 1930s by Egon Riss and called "The Donkey" because the bookshelf is shaped like the saddle panniers that hang on the animals. Production was stopped after only 100 or so were made before the war. This version is called the Penguin Donkey Mark 2 and was reimagined by Ernest Race in 1963 for Penguin Books because the small bookcase stored the orange Penguin paperback books nicely. Penguin offered them for sale to their readers via mail order. Not many vintage models surface - especially in the United States. This is an original example from 1960 in very nice vintage condition with the original label underneath. There is slight wear and minor scuffs appropriate for its age.
We show this on the pictures.
Dimensions15.5" H (39.37 cmWidth: 21" W (53.34 cm 16" D (40.64 cm)
- Creator:Ernest Race (Designer),Isokon (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)Width: 21 in (53.34 cm)Depth: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Mahogany,Lacquered
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1963
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. This charming bookshelf has been lfet original and has some minor wear consistent with its age and vintage.
- Seller Location:San Diego, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6417244848622
Ernest Race
Ernest Race was a British textile artist and furniture designer, born in 1913, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. After graduating with a degree in interior design from London’s Bartlett School of Architecture, he joined the lighting firm, Troughton & Young, as a draughtsman. He was a key figure in the British furniture design industry in the 1900s, with his skill involving the use of ingenious manufacturing processes to create contemporary furniture from improvised or recycled materials.
After visiting a weaving village in India in 1937, Ernest returned to London and opened a shop in Knightsbridge, to sell textiles and carpets. He did not start designing furniture until just after World War II, when he answered an advertisement from engineer, J.W. Noel Jordan. His best-known designs are the BA3 aluminium chair of 1945 and the Antelope, designed for the “Festival of Britain” in 1951.
About the Seller
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