George Harold Winterbottom

George Harold Winterbottom (1861 – 15 November 1934) was an Edwardian business magnate, who dominated global bookcloth manufacture for bookbinding, making him "one of the wealthiest men of England". Bookcloth took over from more expensive materials like silk and leather as the dominant hardcover bookbinding material in the early 19th century, revolutionising the manufacture and distribution of books. Winterbottom seized the opportunity to effectively monopolise the production and supply of high quality bookcloth, which facilitated a country life for himself as a gentleman farmer and philanthropist.