The Bookbinder of Jericho

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

What is lost when knowledge is withheld?

Oxford, 1914. When the the young men are drawn away to fight, it is the women who must keep going. Twin sisters Peggy and Maude work in the bindery at Oxford University Press in Jericho. Peggy is intelligent, ambitious and dreams of studying - but is often reminded that her job is to bind the books, not read them. Maude, meanwhile, is extraordinary and vulnerable. She wants nothing more than what she has, and Peggy must watch over her.

When refugees arrive from devastated Belgium, it sends ripples through the community and through the sisters' lives. Peggy begins to see the possibility of another future: one where she can use her intellect and not just her hands. But as war and illness reshape her world, it is love, and the responsibility that comes with it, that threaten to hold her back . . .

Evocative, subversive and rich with unforgettable characters, The Bookbinder of Jericho is a story about women and knowledge: who gets to make it, who gets to use it, and what is lost when it is withheld . . .

©2023 Pip Williams(P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

A compelling story, beautifully told and full of vibrant characters. It's such a vivid and moving account of how the war brought not only horror and deprivation, but for some - especially women - new freedoms and opportunities which they were reluctant to give up once the fighting had ended. I absolutely loved it!
Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost Things
What a charming, original and beautifully researched historical novel. It nails the problems facing female ambition in a man's world a century ago in such a vivid way that it speaks to us still
Rachel Hore, author of A Beautiful Spy
'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.'
Fiona Valpy, author of The Dressmaker’s Gift.
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
Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go Dark
A compelling, beautifully written homage to the transformational power of books, set against the tragic backdrop of the First World War.
Daisy Wood, author of The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris
Confident and considered ... Williams fully inhabits the world of the bindery and it shows - there's hardly a page out of place
The Guardian
Vibrant, socially astute historical fiction, it's laden with details sure to enthral bibliophiles
Mail on Sunday
[An] enjoyable, richly detailed novel
Observer
This is the kind of book you want to savour... A gorgeous read
Woman & Home, *Summer Reads of 2023*
Spellbinding
Australian Women’s Weekly

User Reviews

Book 4.7
Narration 4.3
4.0
4.0
A really interesting and well written story about women bookbinders in Oxford during WW1. The characters are well written and I found the story compelling. Well narrated too.
megchaplin 20/02/2025
5.0
4.0
I loved the characterisation and storytelling, Pip Williams has a lovely way of hinting at things that reveals something about someone without laying it all out. The story, too, is very gently progressed. This is a story of subtle female empowerment without being strident, set in the backdrop of the impact of World War One. As she explains at the end, she discovered the real lives of the women bookbinders of the Oxford University Press while researching her first book, The Dictionary of Lost Words. Oxford is treated to Pip Williams gentle brush as well, but the town's character comes through. I recommend the book.
nikkichap 09/10/2024
5.0
5.0
ClareR 13/09/2023

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