The Book-Makers
A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives

Quotes

“Bibliophiles will savor this sprightly walk down the book’s memory lane.”—Kirkus

“Erudite, insightful and hugely enjoyable, The Book-Makers features an eclectic cast of oddballs, eccentrics and visionaries who have shaped the printed book. A fabulous, first-class read.”—Giles Milton, author of Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

“Explores in compelling fashion the lives of these fascinating individuals and their roles in making the most powerful objects in human history – books.”—Richard Ovenden, author of Burning The Books

“Evocative and fascinating… We tend to think about books from the point of view of readers: Smyth has written a new, personal history recovering and respecting those who got their hands dirty.”—Emma Smith, author of This Is Shakespeare

“Amazing. From typeface to papermaking to a whole new-to-me democratic world of book interaction like commonplacing and zines, this book is a soul-expanding celebration of the human spirit.”—Martin Latham, author of The Bookseller’s Tale

“Fascinating... Should teach even serious book-nerds a heap of forgotten and precious information about the making of books … As full of surprises as any novel.”—David Bellos, author of The Novel of the Century