Illustrator part of book-of-year winning team

An illustrator from Shropshire has won a Book of the Year prize for her work on a limited-edition version of a medieval classic.

Alice Cao, based in Shrewsbury, worked as part of a team recognised at the annual British Book Design & Production Awards for a new version of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf.

Judges said her 18 new illustrations had produced "a book to treasure for years", which was bound in nearby Ludlow.

"Winning this award feels quite surreal. I would probably have worn a more practical outfit had I thought I'd have to walk up the stage at any point," she joked.

Beowulf: The Morris Edition, from Books Illustrated, pays tribute to an edition involving celebrated artist William Morris, and has a limited print run of 308 copies.

It was letterpress printed, a centuries-old technique, which produces raised illustrations and text.

It also won the Excellence in Print Production category at the awards ceremony in London on 14 April.

The judges said, for a small format, "this book punches well above its weight".

"The newly commissioned illustrations chime perfectly with the traditional elements, and the quarterbound finish makes this a book to treasure for years."

They added: "With traditional creative and artisanal activities under pressure like never before, and with letterpress printing classified as endangered in the UK by the Heritage Crafts Association, this book is a timely reminder of the importance and beauty of hand-printed works."

Cao studied illustration at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge before working on projects with Books Illustrated. She emigrated to the UK from Vietnam when she was 16.

Her work for the book features scenes from the story set in the middle of ornate frames, with hand-written quotes from the text below.

She explained she wanted to celebrate both the original tale, and pay homage to Morris, while creating something new and fresh.

"I want every scene to look like a final boss battle in an epic video game. So the composition are very cinematic and modern," she said.

She said her art was suited to historical epics, adding that she drew "a lot of armoured women engaging in battles" in her free time.

Cao said seeing her work celebrated was "awesome" and meant job security in the short-term.

"We'll definitely do another book together. [I'm] very excited to do a worthy follow-up to this."

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