The Bookbinder of Jericho

The men are at the front. But women are fighting too...'Vivid and moving ... I absolutely loved it!' Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost Things'Charming, original and beautifully researched' Rachel Hore, author of A Beautiful Spy'When the men leave for the Western Front, Peggy and her friends must shoulder the burden at home.As she moves between her narrowboat full of memories and the demands of the bookbindery where she works, Peggy’s dreams of escaping for a new life feel ever more remote.But the war brings people together in unexpected ways. New friends and lovers offer new opportunities but also present difficult choices – and Peggy must write her own story.'A fresh, exciting new voice in historical fiction' Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife'A compelling homage to the transformational power of books' Daisy Wood, author of The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris

'A wonderful book, whose vividly-drawn characters tell the story of a pivotal period in women's history as they work behind the scenes in the bindery of the Oxford University Press. I could almost smell the ink and hear the whisper of the pages being folded, as the novel followed their traumas and their triumphs against the harrowing backdrop of the First World War.', An immersive and compelling tale ... Williams is a fresh, exciting new voice in historical fiction. I can't wait to see what she does next, A compelling, beautifully written homage to the transformational power of books, set against the tragic backdrop of the First World War., Confident and considered ... Williams fully inhabits the world of the bindery and it shows - there's hardly a page out of place, Vibrant, socially astute historical fiction, it's laden with details sure to enthral bibliophiles

Pip Williams was born in London, grew up in Sydney and now calls the Adelaide Hills home. She is the author of the international number one bestseller, The Dictionary of Lost Words, described by The Times as 'an extraordinary, charming novel'. It was also a New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick and has been translated into over thirty languages to worldwide acclaim. Pip's second novel, The Bookbinder of Jericho, sprang from her discovery of archival footage of women who worked in the bindery of Oxford University Press during the early twentieth century. When she tried to find out more about them, there was almost nothing. Despite their important role in the production of books, barely a word has been written about them until now.