Trevor Hickman was born in the village of Wymondham and from an early age has been interested in local history. He received his first batch of photographs at the age of 10. On leaving school he was apprenticed to a printer’s and bookbinders, which ran its own subscription library, a haven for a young man interested in publishing and local history. His main interest has always been in book restoration, and when in 1955 he was awarded a City and Guilds bronze medal for fine bookbinding, this resulted in a career change. As a consultant and director of two publishing organisations, he designed and marketed books with a major interest in local history, particularly on Leicestershire. He taught bookbinding at the School of Printing in Leicester until retirement and has since compiled many books on local history.