Penguin Readers is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language, the series' combination of high interest level and low reading age makes it suitable for both English-speaking teenagers with limited reading skills and students of English as a second language. Many titles in the series also provide access to the pre-20th century literature strands of the National Curriculum English Orders. "Penguin Readers" are graded at seven levels of difficulty, from "Easystarts" with a 200-word vocabulary, to Level 6 (Advanced) with a 3000-word vocabulary. In addition, titles fall into one of three sub-categories: "Contemporary", "Classics" or "Originals". At the end of each book there is a section of enjoyable exercises focusing on vocabulary building, comprehension, discussion and writing. Some titles in the series are available with an accompanying audio cassette, or in a book and cassette pack. Additionally, selected titles have free accompanying "Penguin Readers Factsheets" which provide stimulating exercise material for students, as well as suggestions for teachers on how to exploit the Readers in class.

约翰•巴肯（John Buchan）

当过政治家，英国保守党国会议员，律师，出版商，也参过军。他以创作惊险故事而著称，其中以理查德•汉内系列的悬疑小说最为经典。

1915年出版的《三十九级台阶》是他最著名的小说，也是文学史经典的悬疑小说。美国推理作家协会评选的100部经典推理小说中，它排第22位。《卫报》评选的“死前必读的1000本小说”，它也位列其中。

约翰•巴肯是希区柯克最喜欢的作家之一。第一次读到《三十九级台阶》时，希区柯克说：“从我第一次读约翰•巴肯的《三十九级台阶》起，就觉得它一定能被拍成一部伟大的电影。”1935年，希区柯克将其改编成电影，由奥斯卡影帝罗伯特•多纳特主演。这部电影成了影史上最经典的悬疑片之一。