Pip and Shannon dreamed of living the good life. They wanted to slow down, grow their own food and spend more time with the people they love. But jobs and responsibilities got in the way: their chooks died, their fruit rotted, and Pip ended up depressed and in therapy. So they did the only reasonable thing - they quit their jobs, pulled the children out of school and went searching for la dolce vita in Italy. One Italian Summer is a warm, funny and poignant story of a family's search for a better way of living, in the homes and on the farms of strangers. Pip sleeps in a tool shed, feasts under a Tuscan sun, works like a tractor in Calabria and, eventually, finds the good life she's always dreamed of - though not at all where she expected.

One Italian Summer: Across the world and back in search of the good life (16pt Large Print Edition)

Travel

Williams, Pip

Europe

ReadHowYouWant

The Dictionary of Lost Words: Reese's Book Club: A Novel

"Delightful . . . [a] captivating and slyly subversive fictional paean to the real women whose work on the Oxford English&nbsp;Dictionary went largely unheralded."--The&nbsp;New York Times Book Review &nbsp; WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARD * "A marvelous fiction about the power&nbsp;of&nbsp;language to elevate or repress."--Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author&nbsp;of People&nbsp;of&nbsp;the Book Esme is born into a world&nbsp;of&nbsp;words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the Scriptorium,&nbsp;an&nbsp;Oxford&nbsp;garden shed in which&nbsp;her father and a team&nbsp;of&nbsp;dedicated lexicographers are collecting&nbsp;words&nbsp;for the very first Oxford English&nbsp;Dictionary. Young Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip&nbsp;of&nbsp;paper containing the word bondmaid flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip and,&nbsp;learning&nbsp;that the word means "slave girl,"&nbsp;begins&nbsp;to collect other&nbsp;words&nbsp;that have been discarded or neglected by the&nbsp;dictionary&nbsp;men. As she grows up, Esme realizes that words and meanings relating to women's and common folks' experiences often go unrecorded. And so she begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so she must leave the sheltered world of the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill those pages. Set during the height of the women's suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. Inspired by actual events, author Pip Williams has delved into the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary to tell this highly original story. The Dictionary of Lost Words is a delightful, lyrical, and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words and the power of language to shape the world.

The Dictionary of Lost Words: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

British & Irish

Ballantine Books

A young British woman working in a book bindery gets a chance to pursue knowledge and love when World War I upends her life in this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese's Book Club pick The Dictionary of Lost Words. "Williams spins an immersive and compelling tale, sweeping us back to the Oxford she painted so expertly in The Dictionary of Lost Words."--Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife It is 1914, and as the war draws the young men of Britain away to fight, women must keep the nation running. Two of those women are Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who live on a narrow boat in Oxford and work in the bindery at the university press. Ambitious, intelligent Peggy has been told for most of her life that her job is to bind the books, not read them--but as she folds and gathers pages, her mind wanders to the opposite side of Walton Street, where the female students of Oxford's Somerville College have a whole library at their fingertips. Maude, meanwhile, wants nothing more than what she has: to spend her days folding the pages of books in the company of the other bindery girls.&nbsp;She is extraordinary but vulnerable, and Peggy feels compelled to watch over her. Then refugees arrive from the war-torn cities of Belgium, sending ripples through the Oxford community and the sisters' lives. Peggy begins to see the possibility of another future where she can educate herself and use her intellect, not just her hands. But as war and illness reshape her world, her love for a Belgian soldier--and the responsibility that comes with it--threaten to hold her back. The Bookbinder is a story about knowledge--who creates it, who can access it, and what truths get lost in the process. Much as she did in the international bestseller The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams thoughtfully explores another rarely seen slice of history through women's eyes.

The Bookbinder: A Novel

Genre Fiction

One Italian Summer: Across the world and back in search of the good life

'An enchanting story about love, loss and the power of language' Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory\nSometimes you have to start with what's lost to truly find yourself...\nMotherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood at her father's feet as he and his team gather words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary .\nOne day, she sees a slip of paper containing a forgotten word flutter to the floor unclaimed.\nAnd so Esme begins to collect words for another dictionary in secret: The Dictionary of Lost Words . But to do so she must journey into a world on the cusp of change as the Great War looms and women fight for the vote. Can the power of lost words from the past finally help her make sense of her future?\n'A brilliant book about women and words - tender, moving and profound' Jacqueline Wilson\nDiscover the perfect read to take on holiday!\nReaders LOVE The Dictionary of Lost Words :\nIf you only read one book this year, let it be this one!' 
If you're a fan of the Binding and the Betrayals you will surely love this. 
A glorious combination of words, growing up, friendship, love, feminism and so much more 
The best love letter to words and language 
This book broke my heart … I highly recommend it to any historical fiction fans … it's one I will be reading again.

The Dictionary of Lost Words: A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK

Reference

Vintage

Discover the internationally bestselling debut, SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION\n'If you only read one book this year, let it be this one!' FIVE STAR NETGALLEY READER REVIEW\n'An extraordinary, charming novel... Williams pins a whole, rich life to the page' The Times\nIn 1901, the word 'bondmaid' was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it.\nMotherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary.\nEsme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day, she sees a slip containing the word 'bondmaid' flutter to the floor unclaimed.\nOver time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women's experiences often go unrecorded. She begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words.\nPRAISE FOR THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS\n'Set at a time when women's voices were clamouring more than ever to be heard, it moved me greatly to think how history is skewed by those who hold power -- and how important it is that novels like this redress that balance' Elizabeth Macneal, author or The Doll Factory\n'A brilliant book about women and words - tender, moving and profound' Jacqueline Wilson\n'I absolutely loved this book! Thought-provoking, touching and subtly romantic; I finished it in tears' Katie Fforde\nMORE FIVE STAR NETGALLEY READER REVIEWS\n'If you're a fan of The Binding and The Betrayals you will surely love this'\n'A glorious combination of words, growing up, friendship, love, feminism and so much more'\n'The best love letter to words and language'\n'This book broke my heart ... I highly recommend it to any historical fiction fans ... it's one I will be reading again'

The Dictionary of Lost Words: The International Bestseller

Contemporary

Chatto&Windus

The Bookbinder of Jericho: From the author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick The Dictionary of Lost Words

A young British woman working in a book bindery gets a chance to pursue knowledge and love when World War I upends her life in this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club pick The Dictionary of Lost Words.\n“Williams spins an immersive and compelling tale, sweeping us back to the Oxford she painted so expertly in The Dictionary of Lost Words.”—Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife\nIt is 1914, and as the war draws the young men of Britain away to fight, women must keep the nation running. Two of those women are Peggy and Maude, twin sisters who live on a narrow boat in Oxford and work in the bindery at the university press.\nAmbitious, intelligent Peggy has been told for most of her life that her job is to bind the books, not read them—but as she folds and gathers pages, her mind wanders to the opposite side of Walton Street, where the female students of Oxford’s Somerville College have a whole library at their fingertips. Maude, meanwhile, wants nothing more than what she has: to spend her days folding the pages of books in the company of the other bindery girls. She is extraordinary but vulnerable, and Peggy feels compelled to watch over her.\nThen refugees arrive from the war-torn cities of Belgium, sending ripples through the Oxford community and the sisters’ lives. Peggy begins to see the possibility of another future where she can educate herself and use her intellect, not just her hands. But as war and illness reshape her world, her love for a Belgian soldier—and the responsibility that comes with it—threaten to hold her back.\nThe Bookbinder is a story about knowledge—who creates it, who can access it, and what truths get lost in the process. Much as she did in the international bestseller The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams thoughtfully explores another rarely seen slice of history through women’s eyes.

The Bookbinder of Jericho

RANDOM HOUSE UK

Children will love to snap, flap, swish, stomp and dance along with the actions in this funny retelling of the classic nursery rhyme song. From the illustrator of 'Heads, Shoulders, Knees & Toes,' Richard Watson's humorous and totally wild animal illustrations bring the singalong rhyme to life for a whole new generation of children. Follow the happy, snappy crocodile and a host of other wild animals as they encourage all their animal friends to snap, flap, swish, stomp, wiggle and dance! An ideal picture storybook to get children active as they dance and move along with the words and pictures!

If You're Snappy and You Know It! (Board Book)

Children's Books

Imagine That

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • “Delightful . . . [a] captivating and slyly subversive fictional paean to the real women whose work on the Oxford English Dictionary went largely unheralded.”—The New York Times Book Review\n“A marvelous fiction about the power of language to elevate or repress.”—Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of People of the Book\nEsme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, an Oxford garden shed in which her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Young Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip and, learning that the word means “slave girl,” begins to collect other words that have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men.\nAs she grows up, Esme realizes that words and meanings relating to women’s and common folks’ experiences often go unrecorded. And so she begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so she must leave the sheltered world of the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill those pages.\nSet during the height of the women’s suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. Inspired by actual events, author Pip Williams has delved into the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary to tell this highly original story. The Dictionary of Lost Words is a delightful, lyrical, and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words and the power of language to shape the world.\nWINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARD

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Williams, Pip. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Williams, Pip

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Williams, Pip. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

One Italian Summer: Across the world and back in search of the good life (16pt Large Print Edition)

The Dictionary of Lost Words: A Novel

The Bookbinder: A Novel

The Bookbinder: A Novel

One Italian Summer: Across the world and back in search of the good life

The Dictionary of Lost Words: A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK

The Dictionary of Lost Words: The International Bestseller

The Bookbinder of Jericho

If You're Snappy and You Know It! (Board Book)

The Dictionary of Lost Words: Reese's Book Club: A Novel