Designer Bookbinders is one of the foremost bookbinding societies and its International Bookbinding Competition in association with Mark Getty and the Bodleian Library continues to attract top binders from around the world. For 2013, the theme of the competition was Shakespeare and entries reflect a remarkable range of styles, materials, and approaches to the dramatic and poetic works of the Great Bard.

Prize Volumes collects the full 250 entries from the 2013 competition, highlighting the twenty-eight winning bindings and offering a veritable showcase for the creativity and craftsmanship of the international bookbinding community. As beautifully designed as many of the bindings it displays, this showcase of the best in modern bookbinding will become a collector’s item among aficionados of bookbinding—as well as a handsome addition to any personal library.

Jeannette Koch is a member of the executive committee of Designer Bookbinders, where she also serves on the editorial board of its New Bookbinder journal. She edited the catalog for the 2009 International Bookbinding Competition, Bound for Success, also published by the Bodleian Library.