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Watch a conversation between Pip Williams, author of the internationally acclaimed novels The dictionary of lost words and The bookbinder of Jericho, and Peter Zajicek, Senior Conservator at the State Library of South Australia.

Our discussion will delve into how Pip has engaged with the State Library's collection and Peter’s role as advisor and bookbinding mentor for her recent novel.

 

Pip Williams

Pip Williams was born in London, grew up in Sydney, and now lives in the Adelaide Hills with her family and an assortment of animals. She has spent most of her working life as a social researcher, studying what keeps us well and what helps us thrive, and she is the author of One Italian summer, a memoir of her family's travels in search of the good life, which was published by Affirm Press to wide acclaim.

Her first novel, The dictionary of lost words, based on her original research in the Oxford English Dictionary archives, was published in 2020 and became an international bestseller. The bookbinder of Jericho is her second novel, a companion to The dictionary of lost words, and again combines her talent for historical research and beautiful storytelling.

Peter Zajicek

Peter Zajicek started working at the State Library at age 16, when he took on a four-year apprenticeship in its bindery division helping to preserve the books and materials heavily used by the public. 52 people worked in the bindery which was located in the basement of the Bastyan Wing, later renamed the Spence Wing. Beginning his career in 1977, he is now the Library's Senior Conservation Officer responsible for conserving collection and exhibition items. Read more about the last remaining bookbinder at the State Library.

 

Interviewer: Mark Gilbert, Exhibitions, Media and Marketing Librarian