whitefox: helping brands, thought leaders and writers create beautiful bespoke books

To celebrate our tenth anniversary, the whitefox team have chosen ten of the most memorable projects they have worked on over the years – from a tap-dancing pigeon to an epic WWI four-book boxed set, celebrity vegan cookbooks and a mini surrealist book collection.

Going down the crapper(s)

Loos of London in collaboration with Pop Press, Ebury (Penguin Random House)

One we’re sure is on everyone’s bookshelf. Loos of London was a fun launch title of the new Ebury imprint, Pop Press. On top of regular picture research, the whole whitefox team was drafted in to spend a penny at various notable WCs, from loos with a view, to cafes in former subterranean public toilets. We hit the jackpot when we learned that a church round the corner from the whitefox office had in its basement gents one of the earliest surviving examples of a genuine Thomas Crapper…

~ Silvia Crompton, Editorial Director

Helping a pigeon discover his rhythm

The Tap-Dancing Pigeon of Covent Garden by Serena Hassan

This charming story about a pigeon who discovers his passion for tap dancing needed equally charming illustrations. Through whitefox’s extensive network of freelancers, we were able to find the brilliant illustrator Jon Davis – who brought so much personality to Serena’s plucky pigeon. It’s always exciting to see how the illustrations progress, from initial ideas as draft sketches to full-colour artworks that are full of life, colour and character.

~ Caroline McArthur, Project Manager

A barking mad photoshoot

The Happy Dog Cookbook by tails.com

whitefox worked with tails.com Head Vet Sean McCormack to develop carefully tested canine-friendly recipes into a hardback cookbook, which was produced in just three months and distributed throughout Europe. The book features bestselling author and nutritional expert Annabel Karmel, as well as photographs of adorable doggos enjoying their treats. As you can imagine, the photoshoot was a little tricky with such excitable models but with a team of talented professionals, and a bit of patience, we managed to capture some paw-some shots.

~ Hannah Bickerton, Head of Marketing

A crowdfunded epic

As We Were by David Hargreaves and Margaret-Louise O’Keeffe

Historian David Hargreaves came to whitefox with a collection of essays from his online project capturing the experience of the Great War, week-by-week. It was a huge project in size and scope that required crowdfunding to cover a portion of the printing and editorial costs. The end result was a handsome slipcased boxed set of four books retailing at £100 a set and pre-selling 350+ copies. The response from the market was astounding. Stunned by both the size and readability of the essays, fans and critics alike were unanimously generous in their praise. Reviews and features began to roll in, culminating in Dominic Sandbrook’s glowing feature in The Sunday Times.

~ Chris Wold, Sales & Business Development Director

From artist to author

Alphabet of Animals by Rose Corcoran

With beautiful art and for a beautiful cause, whitefox were able to create a fittingly bespoke and beautiful book. Contemporary artist Rose was involved in every detail of the project, from the orange cover ribbon to the black-and-white striped head & tail bands to match the tiger image on the front cover. Printed to an exceptional quality with special Modigliani paper, the book perfectly accompanied Rose’s exhibition of works at Sladmore Gallery. It even received the endorsement of conservation king David Attenborough himself!

~ Amelia Collins, Editorial Project Manager

The pub, the publication and the pandemic

The Bull & Last by Ollie Pudney and Joe Swiers

After making initial contact with co-owner of North London gastropub The Bull & Last Joe Swiers five years prior, we received an email from him at the start of 2020 enquiring about creating a cookbook. The rest is history. Though it almost wasn’t, given how their refurbishment plans and subsequent reopening were scuppered by a global pandemic. But they powered through, keeping everyone preoccupied with some incredibly creative production in time for Christmas 2020. The Bull & Last cookbook went on to feature in publications such as Stylist, The Caterer and The Times.

~ John Bond, CEO

Creating the book of the centenary

Independent thinking since 1920 by Chatham House

To mark the centenary of Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, whitefox collaborated with The Graphic History Company to create a limited edition, full colour-illustrated book to accompany a 10,000 speaker-name installation celebrating the leaders, thinkers, writers and politicians from all over the world who have spoken and shared their ideas at Chatham House over the past 100 years. The book tells the story of Chatham House and its impact as a hub for rigorous academic research into global challenges through text, photography and speech quotes. Given pandemic-related lockdowns and the sheer scale and scope of the book and its contributors, the project proved challenging yet ultimately very rewarding, with the beautifully-produced finished copies providing a unique record of Chatham House’s purpose and impact.

~ Julia Koppitz, Editorial Director

It’s the thrill of the case

Hooray for the Next to Die by Michael Millar

Arriving as one very long thriller about swashbuckling whisky tycoon Jimmy Mac, whitefox helped Michael to divide it into two shorter novels that race along and really keep you gripped. We had a lot of fun with the covers, with super-talented designer Jack Smyth developing both simultaneously so that they’d complement each other as a pair. As it turns out, Jimmy Mac isn’t quite ready to retire just yet, and a third instalment is underway…

~ Silvia Crompton, Editorial Director

Made In whitefox

Feed Me Vegan and Feed Me Vegan for All Occasions by Lucy Watson for Sphere (Hachette)

whitefox worked closely with Made In Chelsea alumni and proud vegan Lucy Watson, her lovely in-house editor Rhiannon Smith and some incredibly talented photographers, recipe developers, and food and prop stylists to translate Lucy’s vision to the page. We project managed and oversaw what was a hugely collaborative effort. The food was truly delicious and the shoots were a lot of fun – Lucy always had a dog or two in tow, and much of it was spent in the gorgeous wisteria-covered studio, sampling some amazing vegan dishes.

~ Annabel Wright, CSO & LA Editorial Director

Scribbles and giggles with an Irish funnyman

Pig & Owl Collection by Dylan Moran

When meeting with BAFTA-winning comedian Dylan Moran and his agent Caroline Chigwell at her office in Soho, Dylan proceeded to rewrite quite a lot of the text for his surreal series of books, literally scribbling on the digital proofs. With a bit of interpretation and help from whitefox, the result was a mesmerisingly witty collection of books: Dr Cosmos, Bessie the Edible Dormouse Gets Down, Freakout in Triple Time, Klaus Downtown, Pig at Furisio’s, Pig Gets a Quadruple Bypass.

~ John Bond, CEO