Art of the Book, Vol. 7
- Zach Harney
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Paul Kidson of Ludlow Bookbinders
For anyone even remotely involved in modern fine press, the team at Ludlow Bookbinders needs little introduction. In an age when so much of book production has become faster, cheaper, and more disposable, Ludlow remains devoted to the slow, exacting craft that turns printed sheets into lasting works of art. Under the guidance of Paul Kidson, the bindery has become more than a workshop — it is a cornerstone of the fine press community, a place where tradition is preserved, innovation is pushed, and collaborations between printers, binders, and press owners reach their highest expression. In this conversation, we speak with Kidson about the early days of Ludlow, what it means to carry forward a historic craft in a modern world, and about why Ludlow Bookbinders continues to matter so deeply to those who believe that books should be as beautiful and enduring as the words they contain.
Q: Can you tell the story of how Ludlow Bookbinders began and what the bindery was like in its first couple of years (tools, space, types of jobs) compared with today?
Bookbinding runs deep in my family. My great-grandfather, John William Braithwaite, was apprenticed as a bookbinder at Bemrose in Derby in the 1890s. In 1901, he bought a printer-stationer’s business in Wolverhampton, renamed it J. W. Braithwaite, and the company passed down through the family. His son, my grandfather Leonard, joined him, and later his daughter, my mother, worked in the business as well.
After my father’s family grocery business was sold in 1962, he too joined the bindery. My brother Bruce joined in 1982, and I followed in 1984. By the time I took over in 1999, the business had become a very large commercial bindery, geared towards binding close to a million books a week.
However, the commercial pressures brought about by technological change, globalisation, and unionisation made it increasingly difficult to operate profitably. The business failed in 1999; I bought it out, only for it to fail again in 2003. It finally closed in 2008. I left earlier, in 2004, after purchasing Woolnough Bookbinding in Northamptonshire for £1 — inheriting 43 employees, most of whom just wanted to be made redundant, which meant it was a real battle to try and get the business going again.
During that period, I recruited a master bookbinder called Brian Settle. When it became clear that Woolnough’s would not survive long-term, Brian and I began planning something entirely different: a hand craft bindery built on historical principles. Ludlow Bookbinders was founded in 2006. We built our own benches, sourced the core machinery, and set out to create what I describe as an Edwardian edition bookbindery.
Fundamentally, we started binding then exactly as we do now: primarily by hand, using Victorian-built presses and foil-blocking machines, and a lot of glue brushes. The only major modern concession is paper cutting — we use modern guillotines as the safety risks with old guillotines are horrendous. Much else has remained the same.
Q: Were there any early projects or clients that shaped the reputation or direction of Ludlow? Are there traditions or techniques from the bindery’s early days that you still maintain?
One of our earliest and most enduring projects was binding lectern Bibles for Cambridge University Press — we are still doing that work today, with around 80 currently in the bindery.
The most significant early project was a facsimile edition of The Book of Arab Horsemanship. It was a substantial and complex commission and, frankly, it helped carry us through the Global Financial Crisis.
We also began binding for members of the Roxburghe Club, probably the oldest and most august book club in the world. From early on, Ludlow positioned itself at the very top end of edition binding, and that remains our focus today.
Q: You run a modern business selling fine press books, using historical techniques that cannot be rushed or mass-produced. When materials and talent are not easily sourced, how do you go about balancing the care and attention to detail that is necessary, while still keeping up with numerous concurrent projects you always have going on simultaneously?
My production director, Phil Parkins, started at J. W. Braithwaite in 1985. Between us we have 83 years of production experience. My commercial manager, Leon Bateman, comes from a print production background and sometimes finds it amusing — or frustrating — that Phil and I can communicate almost without speaking. But that’s a bond built over decades.
Phil is relentlessly focused on quality. My role is to juggle resources and timelines to ensure deadlines are met without compromising standards. Our staff utilisation is very high, partly because of experience, but also because training is absolutely central to how we operate.
Q: You’ve seen enormous change in the fine press landscape in the past ten years. When I visited and saw your schedule for the next three years, the majority of the productions on your timeline are coming from presses that are less than ten years old. What is your perspective on the growth of the fine press market and how did you need to shift to achieve this huge change in such a short time?
When I helped Richard Tong bring Lyra’s Books’ Stardust to market during COVID, I never imagined how far things would go. It has been an extraordinary experience.
Having run bookbinderies through crises, disasters, and industrial decline, it is just fantastic to now be binding books for passionate collectors through visionary publishers. I’ve drawn on everything I’ve learned over the years to put the right resources in place while remaining true to my vision of a hand craft bindery. It has taken lots of hard work, significant investment, and the support of many people.
Q: Walk me through the lifecycle of a typical Ludlow custom binding — from commission to finished book and what are the steps where human skill absolutely cannot be replaced by any other means than by hand?
Our publishers often arrive with ambitious designs that push boundaries. Sometimes ideas are inspired by elements from one-off designer bindings, and a major task is trying to translate those concepts into something that can be produced consistently as an edition.
We are unapologetically hand craft bookbinders. We don’t look to replace the hand element. I’m fond of the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi: dedication to the highest quality while accepting that materials behave differently and no two books are ever exactly the same.
Once a design is agreed upon, we produce prototypes, which are then photographed for launch. Letterpress printing follows, with sheets delivered flat to the bindery. We’ve invested heavily to bring the early processes in-house, improving both speed and control.
Once we have folded, gathered and sewn the book blocks, what I call “the bomb squad” descends — five young binders (Harriet, Eryn, Imogen, Catherine and Daisy) tipping in plates, nipping, rubbing down sew holes, gluing spines, trimming, and preparing books for gilding. Meanwhile, leather is cut, pared, and cases are foil-blocked.
When the books have been gilded, we round and back, add headbands and ribbons, and apply triple linings to the spines to ensure strength and longevity. The books are then stuck in, tied up with string for 24 hours, and then the endpapers are pasted down. Whilst all of this is going on, another team is producing slipcases or solander boxes.
Q: What does it look like for you to grow your staff when the skill set is so specific? How do you train new binders and other artisans so they can hone those irreplaceable skills and pursue the same level of mastery as binders like Rich Tong and Phil Parkins?
My passion now — and one strongly supported by the bibliophile buyers — is to leave behind a cadre of fully trained hand craft bookbinders. Not just for the next generation, but the one after that.
We actively recruit young people who want to work with their hands. We currently have two 18-year-old trainees who are thriving. Every potential recruit has a trial day, and I always say: we will train you to the height of your ceiling. Some people, like Sam Cartwright — another award-winning Ludlow-trained binder — have no ceiling at all.
Q: How do you approach collaborations with authors, publishers, or artists on special editions and how much input do clients usually have in design decisions? Where do you draw the line between collaboration and your professional judgment?
We input on design when asked. Early on, I was more inclined to dive in, but today the design process is often incredibly thoughtful and sophisticated.
If we foresee potential issues with production, we usually suggest testing them at prototype stage. If something doesn’t work, we revisit it collaboratively.
Q: What have been some of the most unusual or challenging commissions you’ve ever undertaken, and what creative ways did you go about finding solutions to them?
Almost everything we do now has its challenges! Conversation Tree Press’s Treasure Island was particularly demanding: wooden boards on the numbered edition presented movement risks, while the leather seascape and complex wooden box of the lettered edition pushed us hard.
The Legend lettered edition for Curious King, with axe heads mounted on the boards, was another recent challenge. The solander box for Conversation Tree’s Foundation has taken Sam Cartwright six months to resolve. We’re currently debugging the fabulous Hitchhiker’s Guide project as we prepare to enter production.
In truth, we persist until we solve the problem. Leon, in particular, loves a challenge!
Q: What are some of the important aspects of a Ludlow production — longevity of the book, aesthetic, preservation, client satisfaction? Do these factor into deciding what projects would be the best fit for different binders and which ones you take on at all?
We aim to delight our customers. Seeing videos of collectors opening our books gives us enormous satisfaction.
Properly cared for, I see no reason why our leather-bound books won’t still be around in 150 years. Very few makers today can say that nowadays.
Training is such a huge part of our flexibility. It allows Phil to allocate work to binders intelligently, and the team actively pushes us to train them in more operations, which gives greater job satisfaction and staff earning potential. I love our customers, so I hate saying no when a project genuinely suits what we do.
Q: From our previous conversations, I know that you are extremely passionate about the craft and the preservation of these historical techniques. What responsibilities do you think that Ludlow has toward the continuation of book culture and preservation?
My own hard experiences make me appreciate the fantastic position the business is in now. With the support of committed bibliophiles, we have a rare opportunity to significantly increase the number of fully trained hand craft bookbinders in England. I believe it is my responsibility to make that happen.
Q: What are some of the most exciting projects that you have in the works right now and are there any presses that you think people should be paying attention to specifically?
Honestly, they are all exciting, and they are all so different. Collectors today have extraordinary choice. The main presses we work for — Areté Editions, Books Illustrated, Conversation Tree Press, Curious King, Lyra’s Books — feel to me like the modern equivalents of the great private presses of the early twentieth century. As a book collector myself, there is so much to admire in all of them.
Q: Where do you hope Ludlow Bookbinders will be in five or ten years? Any specific goals or projects?
Well, this is something I think about a lot. I’m 64 now, and my biggest responsibility is ensuring a successful transition from myself and my wife Emma — who plays a vital role in the business — to the next generation of leadership.
In England, we have a facility called an Employee Ownership Trust, and I am actively exploring whether I can bring that about. An artisanal business like Ludlow suits this sort of ownership well in my view. We are also looking into other ways of passing the torch, it's early days.
We will continue to grow the skills and the capabilities of the business. We have just put in a cutter plotter and have started a part time relationship with a Graphic designer.
We just love making beautiful books!
This interview was done in a series of communications back and forth with Paul and a visit in person and we want to give our sincerest thanks for all his willingness to join in on this conversation. If you want more information on Ludlow and everything they are doing there, then check out their website or follow them on Instagram.
Interview by: Zach Harney co-founder of the Collectible Book Vault