Years ago, the time of our grandfathers parents, four friends combined their extraordinary bookbinding skills with their love for poetry and literature to create a especially unique guild. The Order of Intellectual Bookworkers not only loves their craft, but all things literature. Where did this love for the stories of time come from, you might ask? When our four founders were visiting unknown lands, they stumbled upon a play of the great William Shakespeare(who is now our patron saint), and their lives were changed forevermore. They were so exhilarated by the words, mesmerized by the movements, inspired by the diverse and interesting characters. However, they were most moved by the stories. Each one seemed so personalized to them in that exact moment, no matter how they were feeling. Energized by Shakespeare and all the beautiful writings he created, our four leaders went out into the world to honor that however they could.

Each person decided to honor the great Shakespeare in their own way. The first was Simon de Montfort, who loved Shakespeare’s poetry. He went on to attend Eton, and wrote three poetry books inspired by the works of his idol. Joseph Rowntree seemed to have a deep understanding for the characters. He saw them not as fictional, but as real as snow in January. He finished schooling and became a professor at Oxford, treasuring each one of his students as their own independent character. Oliver Cromwell liked the plays of Shakespeare, but his true love lied with the theater. To him,the stories put on stage were pure divinity. He thought the best way to practice this would be to satisfy his love of the stage, and go into a career in the theater. He went on to become a director and drama teacher at Trinity College in Ireland. Although all three men had great success in their field, perhaps the greatest success of them all was that of Raven Maddox, bookbinder and creator of The Order of Intellectual Bookworkers.

Raven Maddox couldn’t choose her favorite thing about Shakespeare. She loved the twists and turns of the plots, the enchanting movements of the dancers and actors, the haunting words of the dialogues and monologues. She thought that something so precious, so sacred, needed to be protected and cared for. She began frequently visiting her local library, reading anything in her sight. Her love for books only grew with every passing day. When it was time for her to pursue a career, she decided to become a bookbinder and protect all the stories she held dear. Her apprenticeship was nearly flawless, and she was able to bind books swiftly with her small hands. She soon became known for her work, and was even ask to teach others not only her trade, but also her passion for literature. In no time at all, decided it would be a good career move to create a guild, but she didn’t do so in vain. She thought that literature was a magical thing that everyone should be able to experience. Raven Maddox vowed that The Order of Intellectual Bookworkers would not only preserve written works, but help generations both old and new discover a love for books.

Although Raven has since died, she left a stunning legacy and her guild is still thriving in Northern Europe. The guild’s current members, however, have even bigger and better dreams. They want to expand the guild so it covers most of Europe, and (hopefully) some of Africa or Asia. They think everyone in the world should be able to experience literature in all its glory. They also want to expand the apprentice program and have more guild members mentor kids on the trade of bookbinding. Despite the fact some members of the guild are less hopeful for this project, those who are optimistic someday hope to open a international school of bookbinding and literature. They want a place where students can not only learn a valuable trade, but get a diverse, quality education. We as a guild believe that a person's education is the key to a better life, not only for themselves, but their entire families.