Booker binding: Unique handmade editions of shortlisted novels
15 October 2018
Over the past 27 years, members of the Designer Bookbinders society have created a bespoke edition of every title on the Booker shortlist. Ahead of the 2018 ceremony and a new documentary about the prize, society Fellow Angela James reveals more about this centuries-old craft.
Binding the Booker
Angela James on creating unique editions of the titles on the Man Booker Prize shortlist.
Every year six Designer Bookbinders each bind one of the novels shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. They have only four to five weeks to design and complete the bindings - which require around 150 hours of work - before they are presented to the authors at the award ceremony.
As a Fellow and former President of the society, Angela James has overseen this process for many years, as well as producing numerous bindings of her own for Booker nominees and winners including Ben Okri, Kiran Desai and Ruth Ozeki.
Bindings from previous years have been shown at the British Library and the V&A Museum, and you can browse an archive of photos going back to 2005 . Below are some further examples of James's bookbinding work (all images © Angela James).
The Man Booker on the 大象传媒
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Barneys, Books and Bust-Ups: 50 Years of the Booker Prize
Watch the documentary on 大象传媒 Four, 21:00, Monday 15 October, then on 大象传媒 iPlayer
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The Man Booker Prize 2018: Live
Watch the ceremony from London's Guildhall from 21:30 on Tuesday 16 October
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To celebrate 50 years of the literary award, a public vote was held to determine the best of the best
