‘Monarchy’ distils nearly a millennium’s worth of history into an elegant limited-edition book
Melissa Price’s new publication, ‘Monarchy’, is a graphical history of the British Royal Family

Whether you find them fascinating or frustrating, the British Royal Family is a treasure trove of minutiae and esoteric information. Most of us never get past the stock array of names and dates we learn at school and then let seep from our memories over the following decades.
‘Monarchy’ by Melissa Price: 950 years of history crisply set in Helvetica Neue 77 Bold Condensed
Designer Melissa Price tapped into regal history for her new project, Monarchy, which sets out the salient facts of royal reigns in crisply set Helvetica Neue 77 Bold Condensed and is litho-printed with loving care. Monarchy harks back to the great showpiece books of old, a demonstration of materials, craft and skill.
Price is printing just 300 numbered copies of this 16-page, pamphlet-shaped publication, using a sumptuous paper stock (Munken Polar Rough 150gsm) and five different colours, including gold and silver. Each copy is hand-numbered and is available, along with other meticulously designed and printed works, from her website.
‘In these days of a stable, peaceful monarchy (save a few grumbling princes) we often forget the turbulent and sometimes harrowing history of the Royal family,’ Price says. ‘This book is an attempt to summarise 950 years of that history in just 16 pages.’ Drawing inspiration from a classic design of a ‘children’s plastic ruler’, each spread focuses on a set of key facts, from religion to cause of death.
Intriguing, elegant and rich in royal trivia, Monarchy is a suitably alternative and low-key way of celebrating the coronation year.
Monarchy, Melissa Price, £16, available from MelissaPrice.Bigcartel.com
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Boathouse Zaka is the radical renovation of an ageing structure into a light-filled workspace
OFIS Architects turns a traditional boathouse into a lakeside laboratory on one of Slovenia’s best-loved bodies of water
-
Mercedes streamlines the CLA Shooting Brake to create an aerodynamic electric load lugger
The new CLA Shooting Brake is the first ever electric estate car from Mercedes-Benz, a tour-de-force of quiet technology and elegant lines
-
Willy Chavarria: ‘We’re still so stuck in fashion‘s old guard’
As part of the August 2025 ‘Made in America’ issue of Wallpaper*, we invited three creative powerhouses to comment on the state of the States. Here, award-winning American fashion designer Willy Chavarria speaks on creative resilience, uniting with activist groups, and shaking up fashion’s old guard