Shepherds, Sangorski & Sutcliffe and Zaehnsdorf have collaborated with Oxford University Press in producing four finely bound bibles for His Majesty King Charles III’s Coronation.

Six staff spent over 300 hours binding and finishing the four bibles, the first of which was used in the ceremony and will now be kept at Lambeth Palace, where an archive of coronation bibles stretching back centuries is held. The second copy will be given to King Charles III as a gift from the Archbishop of Canterbury. The two remaining copies will be kept by Westminster Abbey and Oxford University Press.

With the commission coming at the beginning of January 2023, OUP and Shepherds had to make many decisions swiftly. The leather chosen, a rich crimson vegetable-tanned goatskin, was produced by Harmatan, and the initial cover design of a nature-inspired roundel created by the design team at OUP. This design was expanded and completed by Shepherds to create a harmonious finish. The final specification involves leather doublures with inlays of dark blue leather, navy blue silk flyleaves, hand-sewn silk endbands, raised bands on the spine, and a full gilt finish inside and out of 24ct gold leaf.

Boxes were made to hold each bible with the King’s cypher emblazoned in gold to the top.