Every author shortlisted for the Booker Prize receives a bespoke bound copy of their book. Find out more here about this year’s books, and the bookbinding process.
For more than 30 years now, members of the Designer Bookbinders society have created a bespoke edition of every title on the Booker shortlist. These one-of-a-kind editions are given to the authors of the novels to keep.
This year’s makers from Designer Bookbinders are Tom McEwan for A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam); Kate Holland for The Promise by Damon Galgut; Mark Cockram for No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood; Stephen Conway for The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed; Glenn Bartley for Bewilderment by Richard Powers; and Sue Doggett for Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead.
As well as the book, the binders also create a protective container for the novel. The group have just six weeks to create their edition, between the shortlist announcement and the winner ceremony; the process would usually take three to four months.
Each book takes around 150 hours of work to create; there are at 25 stages to hand binding a book, including the decoration of the edges of the pages and the final lettering.
Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other, bound by Sue Doggett.
The specially bound edition of The Promise by Damon Galgut was created by Kate Holland.
© David Parry/PAThe specially bound edition of Bewilderment by Richard Powers was created by Glenn Bartley.
© David Parry/PAThe specially bound edition of The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed was created by Stephen Conway.
© David Parry/PAThe specially bound edition of No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood was created by Mark Cockram.
© David Parry/PAThe specially bound edition of Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead was created by Sue Doggett.
© David Parry/PAThe specially bound edition of A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam was created by Tom McEwan.
© David Parry/PATom McEwan
Sue Doggett
Stephen Conway
Mark Cockram
Kate Holland
Glenn Bartley
Tom McEwan’s creation for A Passage North.
Tom McEwan creates the bound book of A Passage North.
Tom McEwan creating the book for A Passage North.
Stephen Conway’s creation for The Fortune Men.
Stephen Conway’s creation for The Fortune Men.
A sneak peak of Mark Cockram’s creation for No One Is Talking About This.
Kate Holland’s work for The Promise.
Kate Holland’s creation for The Promise starts to emerge.
Kate Holland’s work in progress for The Promise.
Glenn Bartley’s binding creation for Bewilderment.
Glenn Bartley’s creation for Bewilderment.
Glenn Bartley book binding Bewilderment.
