The American Bookbinders Museum

06/24/2026

ABM houses many reference books on contemporary book arts available for researchers and those who are curious. However, we also have examples of contemporary book arts in our collection. An additional display case would allow these books to be displayed.

Donate to support contemporary book arts and the new display case!

06/23/2026

Do you love the look of old book covers? Check out our new postcards with cover designs pulled from the Kathleen V. Robert's Collection of decorated Publisher's Bindings. Buy yours today through the ABM shop.

https://american-bookbinders-museum.square.site/product/abm-postcards/407?cs=true&cst=custom

Postcards from the Kathleen V. Robert's Collection of Decorated Publisher's Bindings

06/20/2026

“Since they were scratching figures into clay with sticks, humans have been creating and preserving documents. The invention of paper made the possibilities seemingly endless, and today artists make book covers by recycling everything from bottle caps and cereal boxes to leather clothes and license plates. Dive into the art of bookbinding!” - Cadette Handbook

Your troop can earn their Book Artist Badge with the American Bookbinders Museum this summer!
Learn the history of making books from hand binding through industrialization in a docent guided tour
Get hands-on experience making a hardcover exposed spine journal
Finish the badge with an optional take home kit

06/19/2026

The American Bookbinders Museum celebrates Juneteenth continuing its recognition as an important holiday despite the federal government’s rollback of its observance. Happy Juneteenth! Visit us to see our Banned Books 250 exhibit and enjoy free refreshments.

06/18/2026

Do you love learning?
Memberships support every aspect of museum operations including field trips to teach bookbinding to Bay Area school children. Field trips feature a docent tour on industrial history and a hands-on workshop where students bind their own books. Help us serve more students.
Become a member today!

06/17/2026

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.

We hope you will join us for our next book club meeting on July 21st, when we will discuss the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a view into systemic racism through the eyes of Scout and Jem as they witness their father’s courageous defense of a falsely accused black man.

Meeting details:
July 21st
2:00pm
San Francisco Public Library, Bernal Heights

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.

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.

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.

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!