In the publishing world, pelicans are related to penguins. Famous for affordable paperbacks, Penguin launched a non-fiction imprint called Pelican and published thousands of titles between 1937 and 1984. The first Pelican was George Bernard Shaw’s The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism, Capitalism, Sovietism & Fascism, and today you will find these books in used bookstores around the world. Like virtually all of Penguin’s efforts, these are some gorgeous paperbacks that look great on a shelf (and the insides aren’t bad, either).

Every corner of science, life and nature, from wildflowers to electricity to the economy and beyond, can be found inside a Pelican.