Pip Williams 2 Books Collection Set - Dictionary of Lost Words & Bookbinder of Jericho - Fiction - Paperback

Titles in This Set
The Dictionary of Lost Words
The Bookbinder of Jericho

Details
Condition: Brand New
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781529113228 / 9781529921304
Publisher: Chatto & Windus, Random House UK
Age Range: Adult

Overview
This two-book paperback set brings together Pip Williams' celebrated historical novels of women, words, and wartime Oxford. The Dictionary of Lost Words follows motherless Esme as she secretly gathers words excluded from the first Oxford English Dictionary, set against the suffrage movement and the Great War. The Bookbinder of Jericho turns to Peggy, a sharp-minded bindery worker who dreams of an education as World War I reshapes home-front life. Together, the novels explore memory, craft, and the quiet defiance of women whose contributions were long overlooked, told with rich period detail.

About the Books
Pip Williams built her reputation on meticulously researched historical fiction that restores women's voices to well-known moments in history. The Dictionary of Lost Words, her acclaimed debut, imagines Esme, who grows up beneath the sorting table at the Oxford English Dictionary offices, absorbing the work of her lexicographer father and his colleagues. When a slip bearing the word "bondmaid" falls to the floor and is discarded, Esme begins collecting it and other words tied to women's lives, servants, and the poor, words the dictionary's editors deemed unworthy of record. As she matures alongside the rise of the suffrage movement and the outbreak of the First World War, her private "Dictionary of Lost Words" becomes an act of preservation and quiet rebellion. The Bookbinder of Jericho shifts the lens to Peggy, a twin who binds books by day at Oxford University Press's Jericho bindery while yearning to read the texts passing through her hands. When the men of the press leave for the front, Peggy, her sister Maude, and their fellow binders take on new responsibilities, and Peggy's narrowboat home becomes both refuge and workshop for her ambitions. As war reshapes Oxford, Peggy must weigh loyalty, love, and her hope of a life beyond the bindery. Both novels are grounded in real institutions and historical detail, rewarding readers who enjoy fiction built on genuine research and vivid, working-class women's perspectives.

Key Benefits

• Two acclaimed historical novels by Pip Williams in one paperback set
• Rich, meticulously researched World War I-era Oxford settings
• Character-driven stories centering overlooked women's contributions to history
• Perfect gift for book clubs, historical fiction fans, and language lovers
• Brand new paperback condition, ready for gifting or personal reading
• Ideal for fans of literary fiction with strong female leads and vivid period detail

Book-by-Book Guide
The Dictionary of Lost Words — Esme secretly collects words omitted from the first Oxford English Dictionary, building a private lexicon that honors voices excluded from the official record.
The Bookbinder of Jericho — Peggy binds books she longs to read at Oxford's Jericho press, navigating home-front duties, friendship, and ambition as World War I reshapes her world.

About the Author
Pip Williams is an Australian author whose debut novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words, became a New York Times bestseller and a Reese's Book Club pick, praised for its inventive take on the real history of the Oxford English Dictionary. Before fiction, Williams worked as a researcher and freelance writer across Australia and overseas. She followed her debut with The Bookbinder of Jericho, another researched novel set in wartime Oxford. Williams lives in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, where she writes historical fiction centered on women's overlooked contributions to history.

Why You'll Love This Set
This pairing is a wonderful pick for book club season, a thoughtful holiday gift for the historical fiction reader on your list, or a cozy addition to a fall reading stack. Fans of language, wartime Oxford, and unforgettable heroines will treasure both stories together for years to come.

Please Note: This is the UK edition with the ISBN as listed; the cover may vary slightly from the image shown.