My First Boydell book: The Bury Bible

In the latest ‘My First Boydell Book’ Mike Webb, Head of Production, discusses the Bury Bible.

One of my most vivid memories, when I joined B&B 16 years or more ago, is of the Bury Bible, a weighty facsimile tome, produced in true ‘craft’ tradition, beautifully printed on fine paper, handsomely bound, embossed on the front and blocked with pale blue and gold foils. There were both leather and cloth bound editions, the rich blue leather version looking particularly splendid.

Pru Harrison was head of production then, ably assisted by typesetter Elaine, the three of us sharing a tiny office at Stangrove, adjacent to an even smaller office belonging to Wendy who looked after the finances. I was reminded recently, whilst trying to find a bookbinder to bind up sheets of the Vernon Manuscript, that there are only two or three companies left in the UK that can produce such monumental volumes. How book production has changed over the time that I’ve been with B&B; it’s unlikely that we’ll produce a similar volume again and I’m pretty sure you’ll never see a POD version of the Bury Bible!