Step into William Shakespeare’s library with our new Spring 2026 design, War of the Roses. This striking cover is inspired by a 1907 binding crafted by the Club Bindery in New York. The luxurious tooling of the original book was finished in 23 karat gold, with virtually perfect leather onlays.
The reason for the naming of this series is because held within the beautiful binding were two Shakespeare’s volumes: The Whole Contention betweene the two Famous Houses, Lancaster and Yorke and Pericles, Prince of Tyre, both printed in 1619.
The Whole Contention is now considered to be a corrupt version of Parts 2 and 3 of Henry VI, one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated works. The three Henry VI plays, along with Richard III, make up Shakespeare’s first historical tetralogy, which covers the entire Wars of the Roses saga from the death of Henry V in 1422 to the rise to power of Henry VII in 1485.
This design comes to us from the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. The museum is an international centre for Shakespeare scholarship and regularly hosts workshops, theatrical performances, and family programs. We are honoured to partner with them to bring to life this beautiful and unique War of the Roses design from the museum’s unparalleled collection.
War of the Roses is available as a hardcover journal, bookmark, guest book, and pencil.
