The American Bookbinders Museum is a small, not-for-profit museum in San Francisco, California, dedicated to showcasing the artistry, history, and craft of bookbinding.
The Museum opened as a private museum in 2009. In 2015 it relocated to a larger location in the South of Market neighborhood, where it opened to the public, offering docent-led and self-guided tours. The Museum focuses on the history of the book as object, examining the transition in the 1800s from hand-bookbinding to industrialized book manufacture, using 19th century equipment, much of it functioning.[1][2][3][4] The Museum, a nonprofit corporation, was started by Tim James, a Bay Area bookbinder.[1] In 2017 James stepped away from his involvement in the Museum, which continued in operation.
In addition to tours, the Museum hosts rotating exhibits,[5] as well as special tours and workshops. The Museum has a Special Collection of books, equipment, and ephemera which is available to researchers.[6] The New York Times described it as "a small, obsessive collection of machinery and ephemera."[2]
References
- ^ a b Whiting, Sam (September 26, 2009). "Bookbinder opens working museum in S.F." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ a b Dicum, Gregory (December 1, 2010). "A Book Lover's San Francisco". New York Times. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ Said, Caroline (August 5, 2016). "Peerspace rentals turn extra room into money for nonprofits". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ "Historical Bookbinding Equipment | American Bookbinders Museum". Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ "Exhibits | American Bookbinders Museum". Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ "Online Catalog | American Bookbinders Museum". Retrieved January 24, 2020.
External links
- American Bookbinders Museum - official site