Gifts for spring celebrations

Know someone who is graduating from high school or college or perhaps there’s another milestone or special person that you’re celebrating?  We’re sharing some favorite gift ideas from our online Folger Shop, perfect for lovers of Shakespeare and literature. If you’re in Washington, DC, visit in person to shop an even larger selection.

Brighten up their bookshelves

Whether it’s a dorm room or a new apartment, dress things up and express their interests with playful objects, handsome bookends, and very special art for their walls.

Pocket-size icons of their favorite historical moves and shakers are fun additions that introduce their loves, whether it’s Shakespeare or Henry VIII or Elizabeth I or Sherlock Holmes! From Collectable Cities, these art toys come beautifully packaged in a colorful, recyclable box. Art for their walls is another great way to share their interests.

The Fantastical World of William Shakespeare Poster from illustrator Joe Lillington features more than 140 Shakespeare characters, with a reference to every single Shakespeare play, placed thematically in a landscape of city and country, of land and sea, of dangerous bears, and support groups for children of terrible fathers. The original map can be seen in our Shakespeare Exhibition Hall.

A stylish and useful addition to any bookshelf or home library are our Reference Bookend created by industrial designer Henry Julier. This powder-coated iron metal bookend uses a rubber grip to secure your collections in place and is large enough to hold even oversized books, exhibition catalogs, and vinyl records upright. Available in three colors: Folger red, Midsummer night’s black, and Hamlet’s blue.

Books for every reader

Our collection of books, from Shakespeare’s plays to his world to our own, features titles for readers young and young at heart. Explore our titles  about Shakespeare and Shakespeare’s works; popular fiction from Folger Book Club Picks; and beautiful illustrated Botanicals. 

All The World’s Your Stage by Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper introduces Shakespeare to those starting their journey with the plays. Insightful and engaging storytelling combines historical context and key themes with imaginative retellings of eight of Shakespeare’s plays, accompanied by vibrant illustrations.

A Shakespeare Motley: An Illustrated Compendium by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust offers a window onto the ideas and influences that informed the life, times, and work of the world’s best-known writer. Expert insights and richly illustrated, this intriguing miscellany illuminates the many facets of Shakespeare’s world.

Shakespeare, Not Stirred, Cocktails for Your Everyday Dramas by Michelle Ephraim and Caroline Bicks mixes original cocktail and hors d’oeuvre recipes with classic images from the Folger collection enhanced to show some hard-partying Shakespearean protagonists unwinding.

Shakespeare’s Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance by Ramie Targoff explodes our notion of the Shakespearean period by drawing us into the lives of four women who were committed to the writing craft long before anyone ever imagined the possibility of “a room of one’s own.”

Shakespeare’s First Folio: 400th Anniversary Edition, produced by the British Library, is a full-size facsimile of one of the most complete early copies of the First Folio, selected and luxuriously produced by the British Library. A must-have for anyone who truly loves the art of the English language.

For graduating teachers of English headed to the classroom
The Folger Teaching Guides to Shakespeare, based on the proven Folger Method of teaching literature and informed by the experiences of classroom teachers across the country, offer a lively, interactive approach to teaching and learning Shakespeare. Available as a bundled set of all five plays or individually: A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Hamlet; Macbeth; Othello; and Romeo and Juliet.

Bookmarks make even a mass market paperback or textbook feel special. We have designs for everyone! The Folger Art Deco Bookmark is inspired by the aluminum grillwork on our landmark building windows while the War of the Roses Bookmark is inspired by an elaborate bookbinding in the Folger collection as is the First Folio Bookmark.

Wearable art

Express a love of literature through jewelry and accessories, some inspired by the Folger and our collection.

Cursive Initial Necklace by Joeyfivecents celebrates cursive writing (IYKYW)! These unique initial pendants are made using vintage paper from a Cursive Handwriting practice guide from the 1940s. A tiny vintage glass pearl bead provides a whimsical flourish. Each pendant is one-of-a-kind design by Susan Forker who works in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Art Deco Architectural Earrings are exclusively designed for the Folger by David Howell & Co. These metal earrings draw inspiration from the Art Deco details on the exterior of the Folger building, including tulips, leaves, and geometric patterns.

Pure Silk Scarf featuring endleaves from a copy of The Merchant of Venice is a handmade habotai scarf featuring endleaves with a feathered paper motif from a 1637 edition of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice that was rebound in the 19th century. Endleaves, or endpapers, are found in books throughout the Folger collection, decorated with marbled swirls, feathered and combed designs, spot and serpentine patterns using marble paper techniques that can be traced back to the Persian Empire, Central Asia, and China.

For the well suited, Just the Tip, a Lazyjack Press handmade Italian silk tie, has a clever all-over design of fountain pen nibs. Also available as a bow tie and pocket square.

Journals for lists and dreams

Inspire someone with an elegant journal for jotting down all that needs recording. The Folger collection inspires several designs developed with Paperblanks.

Our newest collaboration with Paperblanks, the War of the Roses Hardcover Journal puts a new spin on a 1907 binding crafted by the Club Bindery in New York.  The original binding held two Shakespeare volumes. Available in four sizes, from largest to smallest: Grande; Ultra; Midi; and Mini.

A Folger First Folio Journal features a beautiful binding from the Folger collection. It’s attributed to a German bookbinder working in London around 1800. Also available in a smaller 5″ x 7 and a larger 7″ x 9″ size. Or perhaps you’d prefer a journal featuring the Droeshout Portrait of Shakespeare from the First Folio.

The Midsummer Night’s Dream Journal features a detail of a French edition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream from 1886 enhanced with watercolor in 1908 by American artist Pinckney Marcius-Simons includes vivid color, butterflies, and the fairy illustration wraps around the spine.

Plus pencils perfect for writing in journals are a delight for language and library lovers alike:

‘I Love Books’ Pencil Set features five red pencils, each engraved and then imprinted with gold foil reading ‘I Love Books?’ in a different language (English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish).

‘Where is the Library?’ Pencil Set features five navy pencils, each engraved and then imprinted with gold foil reading ‘Where is the library?’ in a different language (English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish).

Stationery worth writing home about

Unique note cards designed for the Folger are inspired by our historic landmark building and world-renowned collection.

Art & Architecture Note Cards featuring the Folger in an exclusive design by iconsUSA features five unique designs, two of each, for a set of 10 note cards that draws inspiration from the Art Deco details on the window grilles from the Folger building.

Birds of Shakespeare Note Card Set by Missy Dunaway features four of artist Missy Dunaways’s paintings of birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays. The eight note card set features two each of the Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Black-Throated Loon, and Osprey, with a Shakespeare quote referencing the bird on the back.

Note Cards featuring A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a set of eight note cards featuring four images from a German edition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Folger collection. The silhouettes were originally cut from paper by Paul Konewka and then recut as woodblock prints by Albert Vogel.

More Folger gift ideas

Give a gift certificate

Good for tickets to any Folger program including Folger Theatre and Folger Consort performances, readings in the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series, and virtual events. You can choose any dollar amount and the gift certificate are good for three years from the purchase date.

Give the gift of Folger membership

Your friends and loved ones can enjoy the benefits and discounts of membership while supporting the Folger. For the teacher in your life, give a teacher membership which includes a subscription to Folger Teaching, online resources and professional development opportunities, special conversations, and more.

Thank you for shopping with us. Every purchase supports the Folger Shakespeare Library.