According to Sir Sydney Roberts, writing in his 1966 memoir "Adventures With Authors," the founding of the Double Crown came during a "typographical renaissance which had a notable influence on book-production."
While the 1890s saw new standards being applied, Roberts wrote, it was not until after World War I that "publishers as a whole began to recognize that the basic principles of book design could, and should, be exemplified as clearly in a half-crown textbook as in a three-guinea edition de luxe.
In 1924, Roberts was a member of the club's original committee along with Frank Sidgwick, Hubert J. Foss, Oliver Simon and Gerard Meynell.
Dinner Secretary, responsible for all event arrangements, is Honorary Member James Freemantle.
The name refers to a size of paper, but Roberts writes, it also was chosen because the club planned to "crown" two books a year.