Poet Luke Kennard’s phenomenal collection Cain has been announced as the winner of a British Book Design and Production Award.

The award was presented last night at a lavish ceremony last night at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge, London. A finalist in the Literary category, Cain was up against two stunning books from the Folio Society. The award was accepted by Neil Clarke of CPI – the book’s printer – on behalf of Penned in the Margins.

Cain was published in June 2016 in a hardback edition with coloured endpapers, two tone interior and ribbon bookmark. Its central sequence of 31 anagram poems re-energises Genesis 4:9-12, and is designed in red and black text echoing the ‘scholia’ or marginal notes common in early manuscripts. Cain has been widely reviewed: the Sunday Times described it as ‘dazzlingly ingenious … Kennard’s best book yet’, whilst Poetry Review found it ‘tortuous and very funny’.

The British Book Design and Production Awards celebrates the beauty of books. It acknowledges those that “continuously innovate, push the boundaries and embrace new technologies to drive the book industry forward.” This is a major accolade for Penned in the Margins, a small indie publisher and performing arts producer, and for the book’s designer Ben Anslow. Penned in the Margins’ director, Tom Chivers, who was also responsible for the interior design work, said:

It’s an incredible honour just to be on the shortlist for this award, but to win it is unbelievable! I’m still reeling from the news. We take great care over designing and producing books that people want to read, want to hold in their hands and enjoy as a physical object, and we’re very lucky to have worked with Ben Anslow, who is an immensely talented and persistent designer. Cain was the perfect opportunity to do something a bit different – and above all that’s down to the genius of Luke’s poems. This award is for a team effort.

Cain is available to order online for £12.99 while stocks last.

Photographs of Cain