American Bookbinders Museum
 | |
| Established | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Type | Not-for-profit museum about bookbinding |
| Executive director | Anita Engles |
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 (26 September 2009). "Bookbinder opens working museum in S.F." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ a b Dicum, Gregory (1 December 2010). "A Book Lover's San Francisco". New York Times. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ Said, Caroline (5 August 2016). "Peerspace rentals turn extra room into money for nonprofits". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ "Historical Bookbinding Equipment | American Bookbinders Museum". Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ "Exhibits | American Bookbinders Museum". Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ "Online Catalog | American Bookbinders Museum". Retrieved 2020-01-24.
External links
- American Bookbinders Museum - official site