About the book
A celebration of the printed book, told through the lives of 18 people who took it in radical new directions.
* AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 * A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE SUMMER 2024 *
'This really is the loveliest of books' I
'I cannot recommend it highly enough' SPECTATOR
This is an extraordinary story of skill, craft, mess, cunning, triumph, improvisation, and error. Of printers and binders, publishers and artists, paper-makers and library founders.
Some we know. We meet jobbing printer (and United States Founding Father) Benjamin Franklin, and watch Thomas Cobden-Sanderson conjure books that flicker between the 20th and 15th centuries. Others we’ve forgotten. We don't recall Sarah Eaves, wife of John Baskerville, and her crucial contribution to the history of type. Nor Charles Edward Mudie, populariser of the circulating library – and the most influential figure in publishing before Jeff Bezos. Nor William Wildgoose, who meticulously bound Shakespeare’s First Folio, then disappeared.
The Book-Makers puts people back into the story of the book. It takes us inside the print-shop as the deadline looms and the adrenaline flows – from the Fleet Street of 1492 to present-day New York. It’s a tale of contingencies and quirks, of successes and failures, of routes forward and paths not taken. This is a history of book-making that leaves ink on your fingers, and shows why the printed book will continue to flourish.
‘Amazing. This book is a soul-expanding celebration of the human spirit’ MARTIN LATHAM, author of The Bookseller's Tale
‘A brilliant time machine of a book’ JOSEPH HONE, author of The Book Forger
Editions of Book-Makers
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9781847926296
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781529932669
- EBook
- ISBN 9781529920215
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9781529925173
Read an Excerpt
A celebration of the printed book, told through the lives of 18 people who took it in radical new directions.
* AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 * A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE SUMMER 2024 *
'This really is the loveliest of books' I
'I cannot recommend it highly enough' SPECTATOR
This is an extraordinary story of skill, craft, mess, cunning, triumph, improvisation, and error. Of printers and binders, publishers and artists, paper-makers and library founders.
Some we know. We meet jobbing printer (and United States Founding Father) Benjamin Franklin, and watch Thomas Cobden-Sanderson conjure books that flicker between the 20th and 15th centuries. Others we’ve forgotten. We don't recall Sarah Eaves, wife of John Baskerville, and her crucial contribution to the history of type. Nor Charles Edward Mudie, populariser of the circulating library – and the most influential figure in publishing before Jeff Bezos. Nor William Wildgoose, who meticulously bound Shakespeare’s First Folio, then disappeared.
The Book-Makers puts people back into the story of the book. It takes us inside the print-shop as the deadline looms and the adrenaline flows – from the Fleet Street of 1492 to present-day New York. It’s a tale of contingencies and quirks, of successes and failures, of routes forward and paths not taken. This is a history of book-making that leaves ink on your fingers, and shows why the printed book will continue to flourish.
‘Amazing. This book is a soul-expanding celebration of the human spirit’ MARTIN LATHAM, author of The Bookseller's Tale
‘A brilliant time machine of a book’ JOSEPH HONE, author of The Book Forger
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Book-Makers about?
A celebration of the printed book, told through the lives of 18 people who took it in radical new directions.
* AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 * A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE SUMMER 2024 *
'This really is the loveliest of books' I
'I cannot recommend it highly enough' SPECTATOR
This is an extraordinary story of skill, craft, mess, cunning, triumph, improvisation, and error. Of printers and binders, publishers and artists, paper-makers and library founders.
Some we know. We meet jobbing printer (and United States Founding Father) Benjamin Franklin, and watch Thomas Cobden-Sanderson conjure books that flicker between the 20th and 15th centuries. Others we’ve forgotten. We don't recall Sarah Eaves, wife of John Baskerville, and her crucial contribution to the history of type. Nor Charles Edward Mudie, populariser of the circulating library – and the most influential figure in publishing before Jeff Bezos. Nor William Wildgoose, who meticulously bound Shakespeare’s First Folio, then disappeared.
The Book-Makers puts people back into the story of the book. It takes us inside the print-shop as the deadline looms and the adrenaline flows – from the Fleet Street of 1492 to present-day New York. It’s a tale of contingencies and quirks, of successes and failures, of routes forward and paths not taken. This is a history of book-making that leaves ink on your fingers, and shows why the printed book will continue to flourish.
‘Amazing. This book is a soul-expanding celebration of the human spirit’ MARTIN LATHAM, author of The Bookseller's Tale
‘A brilliant time machine of a book’ JOSEPH HONE, author of The Book Forger
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Book-Makers?
History and Archaeology > History > History: specific events and topics > Social and cultural history
Where can I read a sample of Book-Makers?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781847926296
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Book-Makers?
Adam Smyth
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Book-Makers is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781847926296) and paperback(ISBN 9781529932669) and ebook(ISBN 9781529920215) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9781529925173)
Where can I buy Book-Makers online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Book-Makers from below
Where can I buy Book-Makers?