I enjoyed The Dictionary of Lost Words very much so was excited for another story that is linked. The author had the idea to write about the women in the bindery whilst researching for her first novel.
Similar to Lost Words there is a lot more incorporated in this story around women being left out; not just from politics (suffrage has just secured the vote but only for certain women) but education (blue stockings are frowned upon in Oxford), work (although World War 1 brought a lot more women to work to replace the men at war, certain positions are only for a certain class of woman). I found the piece about translated classics fascinating, where the translation done by men meant a completely different slant on Odysseus’ behaviour.
My only criticism would be that I felt it could have been edited down a bit more - as there was so much that the author wanted to encompass, it meandered a bit from one point to another.
The characters were particularly well written and some, like Lotte, will stay with me. Her melancholy at the loss she witnessed in Belgium was sympathetic and her later decision around suffering, although shocking, made more difficult to condemn as a result.

I’m always a little wary of sequels when I’ve enjoyed the first book as much as I did with The Dictionary of Lost Words, but fortunately, Pip Williams has created another superb novel that absolutely lives up to expectations.
The Bookbinder of Jericho is more of a companion piece than a follow-up – the two books do share some characters, but could each be read as standalone stories, and probably in either order.
It is a wonderful story, well-researched, thoughtful and informative. And like Pip’s earlier book, it shines a light on a little-known aspect of the lives of women and work. It tells the tale of Peggy and Maude, twin sisters working in a book bindery at Oxford University Press in Jericho during the first world war. And it delivers what all the best historical fiction does – a cast of great characters, an interesting setting, a bit of a love story, and a fascinating education around bookbinding, education, gender and class.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Interesting and well-written historical novel - well worth a look.

I'm surprised that I chose this book to review as it doesn't fit into my usual reading fare. However I have no regrets. The novel tells about twin young ladies working in a book bindery at the outbreak of the First World War. It is their story, particularly Peggy's (the narrator), about their loves, aspirations and hopes during and after the Great War, as well as an indictment of the treatment of women and refugees in this era. The characters are well-defined and engaging as is their story.with the diverse people who enter their lives. Thoroughly enjoyable.and recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was excited to read another book by Pip Williams having so much enjoyed The Dictionary of Lost Words and gifted and recommended it to others. I had not realised that The Bookbinder of Jericho would revisit some of the characters from the previous novel but from a distance and a different perspective. This made the book even more enjoyable to me but it is certainly not necessary to have read The Dictionary in order to appreciate The bookbinder. However I can not imagine any reader engaging with The Bookbinder and not immediately seeking out The Dictionary if they have not already read it.
The titular bookbinder is Peg, a young woman who lives with her twin sister Maude on a canal boat in Jericho in 1913. They both work as bookbinders for Oxford University where their job is to 'bind the books not to read them'. Peg wants more from life than this and desperately wishes to be a student at the University moving from 'town' to 'gown' although she does not know how she could possibly achieve this. She fervently gathers all the rejected books from the press, lining the walls of the canal boat and covering every available surface with them. Maude is 'different; special' and Peg feels somewhat constrained by the need to care for her since the death of their mother a few years before the start of the narrative.
Then comes The War and everything changes in Oxford, not least the fact that most of the males end up going to war leaving serious shortages in the workforce. In the meantime the case for woman's suffrage is getting closer to being won but, Peg realises, probably not for her and Maude.
Belgian refugees arrive in Oxford and the 'welcome' is mixed, mirroring the ways in which refugees are viewed today. Among them is Lotte, a librarian from Leuwen, who befriends Maude. Peg volunteers as a reader and writer with the Red Cross and meets Gwen, a wealthy and opinionated student. Despite the class difference the two become friends in the situation where differences are sometimes glossed over. Peg also meets Bastienne, a seriouly wounded Belgian officer and the two develop a lasting friendship. Death is in the background all the time, not only from the war but also from the 'Spanish flu' which claimed so many lives just over 100 years ago. The responses to this 'plague' find resonance in our recent experiences of Covid 19 and lockdown.
This is a book about loving books ad the power of reading. It is a book about sisterhood, not only between siblings but between women of differing ages, classes and nationalilties. It is a social history examining the impact of war and disease on everyday lives. It is a book to become absorbed in with characters to root for. I highly recommend and really look forward to Pip William's future work.
My thanks to the publishers, Random House UK, Vintage, for sending me a complimentary ARC of this title via Net Galley in return for an honest review.

I loved The Dictionary of Lost Words and it was a while since I'd read it. Didn't twig for a while that The Bookbinder of Jericho was a very welcome return to a fabulous world created by Pip Williams. The view of that world through the eyes of Peggy was just wonderful. and the appearance of women who fought for their education albeit it from a more privileged level (Vera Brittain) was very rooting. Readers of Testament of Youth will find a lot here to like.
Can't wait for Pip's next book.

WW1 has provided so many writers with inspiration for fiction, but none have looked at it from quite such an acute angle as Pip Williams has in this book. Peggy and her twin sister Maude work in the bindery of Oxford University Press, and although Maude has some learning difficulties,, Peggy has a passion for books and learning. The Oxford of the early 20th century was clearly divided in ‘town and gown’ and opportunities for the people of the town were very limited indeed. War began to change that, as young men went to fight, leaving employers and authorities reliant on women to undertake roles they had never even been considered capable of in the past.

The story here is beautifully told and is well paced and engrossing, but the writer tackles many important themes too - not in an ‘in your face’ way, but thoughtfully and gently making the reader think. This is a really excellent book on many levels and it has something for everyone to savour.

This was a slow burner but a very enjoyable book. It is set around WW1 in Oxford. Peggy works in the bindery of the University Press alongside her sister Maude and like their mother before them.

The book looks at so many issues that were significant then and now including issues of prejudice, war, illness, neurodiversiy, suffrage, sexuality, inequality and how differences are felt and perceived. Obviously this is just giving an overview and how the issues affected the characters in a novel rather than an in depth analysis.

It mainly follows Peggy's journey and her desire to be a scholar against the odds. Some of the characters from the first book make an appearance but this would not detract from the story if you hadn't read the first book. It might however give spoilers for the first book so it's better to read that first if planning to read both.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC.

>> The Bookbinder of Jericho in a nutshell
Twin sisters Peggy and Maude work as bookbinders at the Oxford University Press. They are folding and sewing the pages of some of the most important books, but they’re not expected to read them. Once World War I starts, things begin to change in the Bindery, and not only … the whole world of Peggy and Maude turns upside down.
The Bookbinder of Jericho is a touching story about family and love, social classes and impact of war, books and fighting against the odds for the education you want.

>> My overall impression
I loved being back to the universe I discovered in The Dictionary of Lost Words, in a world where the love of books & knowledge is so precious. I had high expectations regarding this book, and it definitely surpassed all of them. The Bindery girls got deep into my heart, with their perseverance, strong friendships, and the ways to tackle the changes around them.

>> Impact of political dynamics on art and literature
An interesting topic showcased throughout the story is how the war (and political dynamics, at a larger scale) has impact on art and literature. To be more concrete – if a country starts a war, should we stop reading the books written in that culture? Stop learning that language? Stop engaging with artists from that culture?

With World War I being an important event in the book, what is happening at the Bindery in regard to printing German books is quite fascinating – I’ll let you discover yourself 🙂

>> Unexpected treats for bookish souls
Apart from the main character working at the Oxford University Press, there are so many other unexpected bookish treats – the 5 parts of the story are named after classic books (from Shakespeare to Robert Burton), ideas from books are discussed by the characters, there’s a lot of reading happening at the University’s library, and Peggy’s own library is one of a kind.

Reading The Bookbinder of Joricho is the equivalent of being in a bookish “candy store” – you’re fully immersed in a world of books and you’ll enjoy every single page of it.

>> Wrap-up
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams is a book that I recommend with all my heart, and it is high on the list of books to gift to my friends. Charming characters, complex cultural context, smooth storyline, overall atmosphere – all pieces come together to paint a delightful picture!

Another stunning book by Pip Williams with lots of important themes such as the need for an egalitarian society, women's rights, and the utter nonsense (for want of a better word, perhaps uselessness, ridiculousness, banality – I can't make up my mind) of war generally.

Interesting, well-developed characters, in the end I was quite surprised by Gwen.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

This is the type of historical fiction that I enjoy so much! The perfect companion for The Dictionary of Lost Words.

It is a beautiful and heartbreaking story set during WW1. It is a very informative book about the role of women and how things were back in that time.

I love a good strong woman character and Pip Williams delivered that once again. The main character, Peggy, had a self-imposed duty to her sister Maude while she wanted to achieve other things and make the world a better place. There is a love story within but is not central to the story, is more to support the character and I loved that.

Set in Oxford in World War one, this is the story of a girl working as a bookbinder, who wishes to be able to read the books. It is about the womens' roles and freedoms during the war, and the expectations for after. It is about sisterhood, and the reasons that hold us back and how to overcome them. Written in a way that is sometimes a little vague, however not too hard to pick up the threads.

I really enjoyed it, I love the way the author portrays the atmosphere of Oxford in the First World War years and was fascinated by the work that bookbinders did (and probably still do) and how readers don't think of them when handling their books. I'll look at my old hardback books differently now!

An interesting and well researched topic – I’d never really considered how books were/are bound. The amount of skill involved. The novel begins as the first world war starts. So the privations introduced by the war are added to the hard lives endured by the men and women employed to bind books in Oxford. The continued labouring of the different social standing of the “gown” and “town” inhabitants soon became tedious. It soon turned in to as standard 1900s tale.

Set during WW1, the book centres around Peggy and her twin sister Maude who work as bookbinders in Oxford with many other women as their men go off to fight in the war.
This is their story, beautifully told and heartbreaking at times, I really enjoyed reading this book and was glad to have a box of tissues to hand!
With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a storming book. Storytelling matched with a good knowledge of the printing business at the turn of the century.
Really rang home to me as my late father-in-law was a master printer in Edinburgh. All the terms and descriptions bought all the memories back from his tales in the printing process. Also life on the canals at this time.

I cannot praise this book highly enough. Blood sweat and tears were present in this read.

Well done and I eagerly;ly await your next novel.

I loved this book! A brilliant story centred around a book binders in Oxford during the First World War.

At times heartbreaking , the book tells us the story of twins who work in the book binders. One of whom has aspirations to do more with her life- wanting to join the ‘gown’ at Oxford instead of being part of ‘town’ whilst recognising her place in life.

The First World War sees most men volunteering for action, whilst the women continue at the bindery and take on extra duties such as volunteering at the temporary war hospitals created to care for the wounded.

Beautifully written, painfully sad and a must read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An excellent read and beautifully told even though it took a while to get into, I will definitely read more from this author

I was delighted when I got an earc for “the dictionary of lost words” by Pip Williams a few years ago. That book spans roughly 1890-1925 and follows the daughter of a man working on the letter A & B of the first oxford dictionary. It is one of my all time favorite books and such and intricate story about how wealth, opportunity and the patriarchy collide in acceptable words.
This is a book set in the same universe and as the previous book is historical fiction, like this book, some of the people mentioned are real.
We follow Peggy around 1914 as she works as a bookbinder in a factory in Oxford, UK with her twin sister Maude.
Maude is alluded to have, what I think is something on the autism spectrum / neurodivergent. In the book she is taken care of constantly by either her sister, neighbors or friends. I wonder if there was an austism sensitivity reader. I found some bits really infantilised her. I did however appreciate the loyalty of Peggy of taking care of her sister like then when other women might have married and started their own families.
The book is quite heavy as it is set during the first world war, and then the (misnamed) Spanish Flu.
It’s very interesting to read how a girl from “town” wants to be a “gown”, but many things prohibit her from going to the women’s uni. The book feels very well researched and heartbreaking. Also shines a light on all the invisible women, who took care of the soldiers and families during the flu.
I recommend this to people wanting to know more about the forgotton people in the first world war, and people interested in the process of printing, binding and making books.

Peggy and her somewhat retarded twin sister, Maude, live on a narrow boat and, as was their now deceased mother, are employed as folders in the book bindery of Clarendon Press (or Oxford University Press as we now know it.)
The girls both gave up their education at the age of 12 and immediately went to work, though Peggy would love to have studied for many more years.. Fortunately they have always been able to bring home spoiled pages or even complete books and have filled their barge with volumes of known and unknown works.

As WW1 takes away a large proportion of the men employed at the bindery, the girls and women become more important and needed than ever, but are also required to volunteer if at all possible. With some knowledge of French Peggy volunteers to assist at Somerville College, which for the duration of the war, has been turned into a hospital for the wounded, many of whom have been brought over from Belgium along with girls and women who have had to flee for their own safety. Whilst there she meets Gwen, a student at Somerville and learns more about university life. She and Gwen are both assigned to a ward where two Belgians are recovering from major injuries, and thus begins a friendship and more with Bastieen. Can it survive the war years and can Peggy fulfil her dreams of studying at University?

A beautifully written novel, very true to life in Oxford during the Great War. The author also educates the reader as to the fascinating intricacies of printing, collating and binding.

This is a parallel book, rather than a sequel, to The Dictionary of Lost Words. That book,as well as a number of the characters, appear in this one, as do Vera Brittain and Gilbert Murray ( in reference). This also concerns the OUP but this is the story of the practical creation of books and the people, many of them women, who make them.
Their job is to make the books, not to read them; but some, including Peggy - and before her her mother - want more and find ways to take home books or parts of books and learn about he Classics and other works. Peggy has a greater ambition and the book is the story of her struggle to achieve while shackled by the responsibility for her ‘special’ twin sister, Maude.
It is also a story of the terrible experiences of the men who went to fight, the women who stayed behind (or volunteered as VARs) or arrived as refugees, both in the war, then in the flu epidemic that followed.
The emotions are raw, the struggles with self and circumstances are well described; the achievement of a degree by a ‘bindery girl’ should have been possible but, including the task of learning Greek from scratch, is rather far-fetched.