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What do you buy for the bookworm who has read it all? A limited edition carving of their favourite novel, if the success of David Andrews’ book-carving-business is anything to go by.

Graphic designer David, 28, decided he wanted to do something that combined his love of old, illustrated books with his experience using street art stencils when he launched his business two years ago.

He chooses many of the books he carves himself but also works on commission saying Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh are his most popular requests.

David, from Dingle, uses basic tools, including knives with disposable blades, cheap cutting mats and “run-of-the-mill” pencils, as he believes that “an artist doesn’t need expensive tools to create something beautiful”.

It can take the designer anywhere from two hours to two days to complete a book, and he listens to podcasts as he works, his favourites being Distraction Pieces by Scroobius Pip and the Mortified Postcast.

The carved books are then sold on David’s Folksy shop and at crafts fairs all around the country. He has a stall at St George’s Hall’s Winter Arts Market on December 6. Prices range from £20 to £40.

David told the ECHO: “Ninety-five percent of my feedback at these markets is positive but you do occasionally get the 5% of people who are quite shocked that I’m cutting up old classic books.

“But people have all these books stuck on their bookshops that are never getting read or looked at. If I can create something that goes on their wall or mantlepiece that is looked at every day then I personally think that’s better.

“And these books aren’t rare - they were printed in their thousands when they were first published.”

When David is not attacking classic books with knives he is running his graphic design studio, And At What Cost, where he does graphic design for small businesses mainly specialising in their printing needs.