The American Bookbinders Museum

The American Bookbinders Museum The American Bookbinders Museum explores and celebrates the craft, culture, and tools of bookbinding.

The only museum of its kind in North America and conveniently located in San Francisco’s famed SoMa neighborhood, The American Bookbinders Museum explores and celebrates the craft, culture, and tools of bookbinding from its earliest forms to the innovations of the Industrial Revolution. In the age of digitization, our relationship with the book has changed. Our relationship to the book is rapidly

evolving, making it the ideal time to tell the history of this object and memorialize its significance in regards to where we are today! Docent-led tours include demonstrations of hand-bookbinding and mechanized bookbinding equipment, and covers aspects of binding, paper making, gilding and finishing of hand-bound books; women in the bindery; and the trade's place in the culture and history of America.

Have you ever wondered how lines were printed for ledgers? Long before the laser-jet printer, there was the pen ruler. S...
06/12/2026

Have you ever wondered how lines were printed for ledgers? Long before the laser-jet printer, there was the pen ruler. Sheets of paper were run through the ruling machine, under a series of metal pens. Water-based ink drew vertical and horizontal lines on the paper. It was a great industrial improvement over hand-ruling lines onto ledgers.

Sage Hirsch is our Museum Manager, his favorite banned book is Merriam Webster's Dictionary.The dictionary was banned in...
06/12/2026

Sage Hirsch is our Museum Manager, his favorite banned book is Merriam Webster's Dictionary.

The dictionary was banned in an Escambia school district in Florida in 2024. I grew up playing with the dictionary through Dictionary Divination, or bibliomancy using the dictionary. I have always been interested in the roots of words and how languages have developed and the dictionary has fostered this interest. My interest in words and their meanings turned into an interest in sentences and their meanings, which turned into a love for reading, which turned into a love of books. If the dictionary had been banned in my school district I would not have been able to discover that love of books.

Visit Banned Books 250 at the American Bookbinders Museum to learn more about the past 250 years of banned books in the US.

What could we display inside an additional display case? The difference between Fine Bindings, Design Bindings and Artis...
06/11/2026

What could we display inside an additional display case? The difference between Fine Bindings, Design Bindings and Artist Books! With expanded display capacity, we can share the differences and examples with our visitors.
Slide 1: Fine Binders use their skill and premium materials to create beautiful books. This is The Napoleon Gallery published in 1837 by Charles Tilt, and donated by Kenneth W. Rendell II.
Slide 2: Binders who make Artist Books use their creativity and binding techniques to create every aspect of the book. This is Rabbit on the Moon designed, bound, and donated by Pamela Wood.
Slide 3: Design Binders visually interpret the book using the cover as their canvas. This is The Snails by Patricia Highsmith, bound and donated by Peggy Gotthold.

ABM partners with: Book organizations such as American Academy of Bookbinding, Hand Bookbinders of California, SF Art Bo...
06/04/2026

ABM partners with:
Book organizations such as American Academy of Bookbinding, Hand Bookbinders of California, SF Art Book Fair, and SF Zine Fest
Local partners such as Children's Creativity Museum, SF LGBT Center, SF Public Library, SF United School District, and Yerba Buena Partnership
Memberships support every aspect of museum operations including community outreach and educational programs. Become a member today and become one of ABM's partners!

Join book artist Roberta Lavadour for a webinar exploring adaptations of sewn board bindings.This structure's strength i...
05/30/2026

Join book artist Roberta Lavadour for a webinar exploring adaptations of sewn board bindings.
This structure's strength is it's mobility and flexibility. This binding is distinguishable by its covers, which are sewn directly into the binding creating a floating spine. By reimagining a traditional technique, you’ll discover new possibilities for experimentation while staying rooted in solid bookbinding principles.

Reserve your spot today and see how a classic binding style can be transformed in exciting ways.

June 6th
11:00am PST
This webinar will be recorded and sent to ticket holders following after the fact.

https://bookbindersmuseum.org/event/webinar-variations-on-the-sewn-board-binding/?event_date=2026-06-06

In 2025 you helped us grow our collection. Since we announced our campaign last year one thousand three hundred and thir...
05/28/2026

In 2025 you helped us grow our collection. Since we announced our campaign last year one thousand three hundred and thirty three items were donated! Thank you for all of your support. Book Lovers give us their books because they want them to be preserved for future generations and our museum preservation practices support that. Community members also give us their books because they want to share them with the public. The American Bookbinders Museum makes our collections accessible by special appointment, displays and exhibitions. Because our collection has grown, it is time our display space grows as well. DONATE TO HELP US INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL DISPLAY CASE!

We're teaming up with the San Francisco Public Library for a Banned Book Club! Join us every month during the exhibit's ...
05/27/2026

We're teaming up with the San Francisco Public Library for a Banned Book Club! Join us every month during the exhibit's run for a discussion of a book that has been banned in the United States.
Sign up today for our next book club meeting on June 16th, when we will discuss Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo.
Told through the perspective of Lily Hu, a young Chinese American girl, as she navigates identity, family expectations, and q***r love, against the backdrop of the Red Scare set in 1954 San Francisco.
In 2024 Last Night at the Telegraph Club was the 4th most banned book in the United States.

June 16th
4:00pm
American Bookbinders Museum



# https://bookbindersmuseum.org/event/bannedbooksclublastnight/?event_date=2026-06-16bookbindersmuseum

According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary (a banned book) the definition of the word “ban” is “to prohibit the use, perf...
05/26/2026

According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary (a banned book) the definition of the word “ban” is “to prohibit the use, performance, or distribution of”.

For 250 years, America has been called the "land of the free," but who has that freedom truly been extended to? While the First Amendment guarantees free speech, not all voices have been heard. America’s history of censorship dates back to before 1776. Books have been banned, burned, and censored to control ideas. This special exhibit examines that history and why they were banned.
We hope you will join us for a reception celebrating the exhibition on July 18th. Discuss your favorite banned books over light refreshments and attend a panel discussion about the state of book bans today.



https://bookbindersmuseum.org/exhibition/banned-books-250/

In June we are hosting a Romanesque Stitch Binding Workshop and in July we’ll host a Reverse Piano Hinge Workshop. Want ...
05/23/2026

In June we are hosting a Romanesque Stitch Binding Workshop and in July we’ll host a Reverse Piano Hinge Workshop. Want to join these workshops for free? Become a Grand Master member and receive free access to two workshops, free all year museum admission, free online webinars, and 10% off in the museum gift shop.

This year Grand Master members have an option, free admission to two of our monthly bookbinding workshops OR Book Enthusiast Socks, Heartell Hand-carved Letterpress Cards, Good Grand Great Wonderful Journal, and a La Antigua Bindery Book Keychain. Both options include free year round in person museum admission, free online webinars, and 10% off in the museum gift shop.

National Notebook Day brings attention to our trusty notebooks. Waiting for us to use at our leisure, notebooks are the ...
05/22/2026

National Notebook Day brings attention to our trusty notebooks. Waiting for us to use at our leisure, notebooks are the blank canvas we all need in our lives. Let your ideas out and onto the page, clear your mind from the day’s wear, write lists or reminders as you need them, or doodle to your heart’s content. Whatever it is, notebooks are there.

Check out these upcycled journals by Jessica Pope of Good, Great, Grand, and Wonderful. These beautiful journals are upcycled from old book covers and bound in a buttonhole binding. Each journal is unique in its combination and is even given a name. The blank pages are not only for writing, but sketching or collaging as well, and they’ll look amazing on your desk! No two are the same, so purchase one of these unique books in the ABM shop today.



https://american-bookbinders-museum.square.site/product/jessica-pope-upcycled-journal/304?cs=true&cst=custom

Address

355 Clementina Street
San Francisco, CA
94103

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(415) 824-9754

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