Book-Makers: A History of the Book in 18 Remarkable Lives

A fascinating book that speaks volumes ― Financial Times, *Summer Reads of 2024*

This really is the loveliest of books and you will never take for granted reading a physical copy again ― i

Agile storytelling and chatty erudition evoke not just the physicality of the book but also its innate humanity ― Observer

A passionate paean to the book, in all its forms, as an object ... So interesting, so thought-provoking ― Literary Review

The Book-Makers breathes bibliophilia. It recalls Walter Benjamin’s essay ‘Unpacking My Library’. Like Benjamin, Smyth unpacks his contents lovingly … I cannot recommend it highly enough ― Spectator

Emphasising the human aspect in all its chaotic truth, The Book-Makers is far from your standard Gutenberg-to-Google history of the book… [Smyth] is almost uniquely well-qualified to convey what his 18 makers felt under their fingertips, and why it mattered to them so much. It is, in the truest sense, an enthusiast’s book; one that deserves to find enthusiasts of its own ― Telegraph

Vivid and often-surprising … The charm of The Book-Makers comes from its interest in wear and tear, blunders and errata, the spontaneous and the scrappy, the residual and the recycled – and in edges, of pages and bindings, society and taste ― Times Literary Supplement

Refreshing ... Smyth breathes both books-as-objects and their creators back into life ― Financial Times

Bound to be brilliant ... There's no doubting the breadth of [Smyth's] knowledge and love of the business ― Guardian

Fun and informative ... The Book-Makers gives you a lively sense of the way in which books have been made and unmade, crafted, handled and spliced down the centuries ― Prospect