Meet the designers behind the Booker Prize 2023's bespoke bound books

How did you begin bookbinding, and what drew you to it as an art form? 

My background is in visual art, educationally and vocationally. Creative pursuits are difficult to bring in income so I worked in other areas, mainly publishing. Eventually, I wanted to return to making and when I overheard someone mention bookbinding my ears perked up. It was completely unknown to me as an occupation, so I enrolled in some adult education courses in London and that was it.

Bookbinders are allocated their Booker Prize shortlisted book at random. How do you approach the process - were you familiar with Paul Harding’s book or the other titles beforehand? Which elements served as inspiration? 

I read a synopsis of each of the longlisted titles and pick one or two that appeal to me in subject matter and then read them ahead of the announcement of the shortlist, hedging my bets that my favourite will be shortlisted. I think this is my seventh Booker binding and I’ve picked correctly every time (as we are able to give our preference for which book we’d like to bind). This year the novel at the top of my list did not make the shortlist, much to my surprise, but the next did.

It’s not possible to design and bind if the book hasn’t been read – this is crucial to create a piece that is empathetic with the story and reflects the overall themes of the novel.

What appealed to me about This Other Eden is its setting, the elements, the history and lifestyle of the characters and especially the amazingly beautiful long sentences that are so visually descriptive. The prose is a knockout.

How did you approach binding This Other Eden, and was there anything that made the process for this particular book and assignment unique, or challenging? How does it differ from normal assignments?

I read the book, think about its ‘colours’, and do a little research about the author. I have a strong interest in the mechanics of the book – how it handles and opens (I always want a book to open as flat as possible) and that the structure contributes to the overall impact of the finished work – it’s part of the design. This time I chose the structure based around two ideas: the multiracial community of characters and the fact that Paul Harding said he wrote most of the novel on Post-it notes. The visual element has come about very organically, working directly onto the boards of the book with mixed media.

The only real difference between this and other commissions is the time frame. It’s the only time I have to work to a deadline so decisions have to happen quicker, something that throws up interesting solutions.

There are six individual binders who work on the shortlisted books each prize year. Did you liaise with any of the other designers during the process to discuss approach? Is there a friendly rivalry between you all?

I don’t believe any of the binders liaise with one another. I never have, we just get on with it. Of course, we all have our own opinions about other work but I don’t see this as rivalry. Perhaps it’s the same as what the authors think about their fellow nominees? We are all very aware that we are in a privileged position to be able to have this commission and always give our best efforts.

Why do you think physical books, and particularly traditionally bound books, still hold such appeal to readers?  

The smell, sound and feel.

How did you begin bookbinding, and what drew you to it as an art form?  

Whilst studying graphics and illustration at university, I had the opportunity to study several different disciplines: desktop publishing, paper engineering, various printing techniques and bookbinding. The latter ignited something within me and I knew that this was something that I wanted to pursue. At first, I approached bookbinding solely as a craft; leaving my art background behind. The idea and practice of bookbinding as an art form came a few years later. 

Bookbinders are allocated their Booker Prize shortlisted book at random. How do you approach the process – were you familiar with Paul Murray, or the other titles beforehand? Which elements served as inspiration?

As soon as the longlist has been announced, I study the titles. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to read all of them, but I get a flavour of each book from the synopses from the Booker Prizes website. I make a note of my favourites and then I wait.

Luckily, Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting was at the top of my list. I’m not familiar with his previous work, which meant that I could approach the text with no particular expectations. 

I always read the book I’m binding (where possible). I like to think that I am embarking on a collaboration of sorts, allowing the rhythm and voice or voices of the text to create the imagery. I got lucky; Paul Murray’s writing gave me a lot to work with. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the book but it was very inspiring. 

How did you approach binding The Bee Sting, and was there anything that made the process for this particular book and assignment unique, or challenging? How does it differ from normal assignments? 

Each binder receives their reading and binding copies only once the shortlist has been released so the ‘unique’ and ‘challenging’ aspect is the time frame we get to read, design and execute the piece before the big night. The binding copy arrives in flat sheets, so the pages need to be, folded, collated and pressed before reading commences.

I usually have a sketchbook and a Post-it notepad by my side whilst I’m reading, scribbling down ideas as I read and marking off the pages so that it is easy to refer to later. For a Booker Prize binding, there isn’t a lot of time to explore ideas, you generally have to run with the first idea you get. 

There are six individual binders who work on shortlisted books each prize year. Did you liaise with any of the other designers during the process to discuss approach? Is there a friendly rivalry between you all? 

Occasionally there may be a bit of communication; the sharing of progress shots, newbies seeking advice from the Booker Prize binder veterans, that sort of thing. I don’t think that there’s any rivalry, since it isn’t a competition between the binders. We only want to produce bindings that will honour the text, please the author and collectively create an amazing mini-exhibition for the big night.

Why do you think physical books, and particularly traditionally bound books, still hold such appeal to readers?   

I believe that physical books ignite our senses. I’m not against electronic books, they have their place, but the feel and sound of the pages, the smell of a book, whether it is old or new, is something quite special and would be difficult to replicate. A book which has been traditionally bound; the skill and craftsmanship involved make it even more special, almost magical. 

How did you begin bookbinding, and what drew you to it as an art form?  

I was lucky to be at Oxford Brookes University when Ivor Robinson and David Sellars were teaching on the Bookworks modules which were part of the Visual Studies BA programme. I was excited, entranced and beguiled by the fact I could be creative and make something practical at the same time. I still feel the same way nearly forty years later and am lucky in this – although it has sometimes been a love/hate relationship! 

Bookbinders are allocated their Booker Prize shortlisted book at random. How do you approach the process – were you familiar with Sarah Bernstein’s book or the other titles beforehand? Which elements served as inspiration?  

I always really enjoy not knowing which book I am going to get – that’s part of the attraction of doing the commission. It is a challenge as the timeframe is quite short for this kind of work and so you have to read and absorb, then translate what you have absorbed into some kind of response that says something about your experience of reading the book. I wasn’t familiar with Sarah’s work beforehand and so read the book with a completely open mind. In fact, I read it once very quickly, then again more slowly, picking up on things that I missed the first time round. Then I listened to an audio version with Sarah herself reading which gave me a slightly different perspective on the novel – it was very interesting. I can’t really say exactly which elements of the novel served as inspiration because it is difficult to pin down – if I had to pick tangible things that I have included in the design I would say ‘somewhere up North’, ‘talismans’, ‘townspeople’ and ‘landscape’ but there is a deeper and more profound theme in the novel that I want to reference but haven’t fully visualised yet so I’m keeping that in my mind at the moment. 

How did you approach binding Study for Obedience, and was there anything that made the process for this particular book and assignment unique, or challenging? How does it differ from normal assignments? 

I started as I usually do by reading (see above) and making notes. I then go through and look for overarching themes or ideas that have affected me in the reading and I try to imagine what they might look like. This novel was challenging as the feelings I experienced whilst reading were big, emotional and profound things and they kept changing, so were more difficult to visualise. Although there were plenty of ‘things’ to latch on to as design possibilities, the thoughts of the narrator as they are speaking (to us or to themselves) are so complex and internal that to apply any kind of visual ‘design’ seemed wrong in a way. However, I hope I have come up with a binding that will demonstrate something of what I felt about the novel and elements which seemed to be important in what led up to the ‘denouement’ if you like. 

There are six individual bookbinders who work on binding the shortlisted books each prize year. Did you liaise with any of the other bookbinders during the process to discuss approach? Is there a friendly rivalry between you all? 

I don’t know about any of the other binders but once I get my book it’s heads down and I don’t really surface until it’s done – apart from doing the other day job. In my experience, there isn’t really time for any interaction until we all turn up at the ‘do.’ It’s here we get to see each other and compare experiences and then look at each other’s books which is always a pleasure after the intensity of the binding process. 

Why do you think physical books, and particularly traditionally bound books, still hold such appeal to readers?   

I’m not sure how many readers get to handle the kinds of books we make, sadly, but I do think that physical books offer a very different experience to reading on an electronic device. Having said that, this year I have read Study for Obedience in book form on my own in my house, I’ve read it on my phone and I’ve listened to it via my earbuds on the train. Each one of these ways of experiencing the novel has been different and comes with its own set of pros and cons. The physical book will always be my first choice because I can only properly read a physical book at home and am therefore in a less distracting environment – plus, you can more easily write notes in it!