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The American Bookbinders Museum

The American Bookbinders Museum

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

“Dianne Feinstein Doesn’t Care Who You Sleep With as Long as You’re in Bed by 11 O’Clock” is a book made by book artist Colleen Mullins for #HBC53. An exhibition now on view at the American Bookbinders Museum.“As a native San Franciscan, I grew up seeing Feinstein as a champion of women’s rights. She was a face that mirrored the unimaginable grief of our city after the assassination of Moscone and Milk. She was the first to many milestones, not the least of which an almost unblemished record of support for the gay community. As an adult, however, I have come to see the nuanced calculus of politics and the many needles she threaded to get to all those firsts, while sometimes using her schoolmarm persona to caution the very community whose votes she whipped, saying “too much” (bathhouses) and “too soon” (gay marriage). Ultimately, though, both she and the gay community rose from the relationship. It is that which Paul and I have collaborated to depict.” Learn more about books like these this Saturday at Bound with PRIDE, a panel discussion featuring Amanda Andonian, Bridget McGraw, Erica Taketa, and Paloma Lucas, moderated by Insiya Dhatt., Discover how each artist approached the task of honoring the flag’s legacy while pushing the boundaries of book art.#Pride #Queer #MuseumswithPride #Webinar #ABM #Bookbinding #HBC #SFCastro ... See MoreSee Less
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Bookplates like this one are used to identify a book’s owner through a memorable image in a small space. This bookplate, belonging to Tamas Havasi of Hungary, features a father with two kids on a biking trip. The celebration of Father’s Day began with Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. On June 19, 1910 Dodd delivered gifts to handicapped fathers, while ministers gave homilies on fatherhood. The event was publicized across the country, and Father’s Day would be informally celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Newspapers ran ads for possible gifts, as well as advice on how fathers could be part of their children’s lives. Despite widespread recognition and the introduction of a bill to make it a national holiday in 1913, Father’s Day would not become a federal holiday till 1972. ... See MoreSee Less
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Grimoires are historic spell books revolving around a personal narrative. Grimoire: New Scottish Folk Tales, poems by Robin Robertson, is a poetic perspective on this centuries-old traditional story. Members from the Hand Bookbinders of California were given hand-letterpress versions of this text to interpret into fine bindings. These spellbinding editions feature motifs symbolising metamorphosis, shadows, and personal connections to the text. Books made by: Lucia Farias VillarrealColleen CurryPamela Wood @rareharecreationsKaren HanmerVanessa HardySamuel Feinstien Robin Brandes#grimoire #spellbook #hbc53 #finebindings #ABM #exhibition ... See MoreSee Less
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10 Years of Sharing the Story of the Book! The American Bookbinders Museum’s collection includes historic machines, tools, books, periodicals, and ephemera. We also host three free special exhibits a year, from book conservation to highlighting the bindings of different communities.#ABM10 #Donation #Museums #Museum #SupportMuseums #Thankyou ... See MoreSee Less
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While pamphlets have been around since the 12th century, one of the most common pamphlet binding methods, the wire stitch, did not come around until the 19th century. Wire stitchers were one of the only machines used by women. The roles of women in binderies included folding, collating and sewing, none of which included heavy machinery until their jobs were replaced by machins themselves. Today most people have a version of wire stitching in their homes, the humble stapler.Image:“Single section pamphlets, being carried along the rail, receive a wire stitch to secure them. This photo from the 1930’s is one of many showing employees of different races working side by side. In this period area in GPO outside the production floor were, like most Federal Agencies, segregated.” (Borrowed from the Government Printing Office Picturing the Big Shop: Photos of the U.S. Government Publishing Office 1900-1980)#NationalSewingMachineDay #WireStitch #WomensRights #19thCenturyImage: “Single-section pamphlets, being carried along the rail, receive a wire stitch to secure them. This photo from the 1930’s is one of many showing employees of different races working side by side. In this period area in GPO outside the production floor was, like most Federal Agencies, segregated.” (Borrowed from the Government Printing Office Picturing the Big Shop: Photos of the U.S. Government Publishing Office 1900-1980)re stitching in their homes, the humble stapler.r. ... See MoreSee Less
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Elisa
Elisa

Elisa.  Diario Técnica: elaborado con ante rojo y negro, cantos labrados y detalles que provienen de la costura, guardas francesas y separador con detalles de ante. 19 x 12.5 cm  Año 2002

Alejandro
Alejandro

Alejandro  Diario  Técnica: Portablock con detalle de hilo en la portada. 12 x 8.5 cm  Año 2006  

María
María

María    Diario Técnica: tela italiana con detalles de hilo de algodón, cabezadas hechas a mano y cantos pintados. 24 x 18 cm  Año 2003  

Blanca
Blanca

Blanca.  Diario Técnica: collage en piel de borrego por ambos lados. Cortes en las hojas internas y registros de hilo de henequén. 24 x 18 cm  Año 2003

Violeta
Violeta

Violeta  Diario Técnica: encuadernado en piel badana teñida a la valenciana, con cantos labrados, las tapas del diario forman a su vez la caja de protección, guardas francesas, cabezadas y detalles de clavos. Cosida en telar con hilo de lino. [...]

Miguel Hernandez
Miguel Hernandez

MIGUEL HERNANDEZ, de José Luis Ferris  Elaborado para la 1ª Muestra Internacional de Encuadernación de Arte, realizada por el Taller “Llar del Llibre” en Alicante, España. Técnica: encuadernado en piel badana natural, con cantos labrados teñid [...]

La Vuelta al Mundo en Ochenta Días
La Vuelta al Mundo en Ochenta Días

Le Tour de Monde en Quatre-vingt Jours (edición original en francés) de Julio Verne Elaborado para el Concurso Internacional de la 8ª Bienal Mundial de Encuadernación de Arte, celebrado en París, Francia, en 2005: “Un calendrier a pendre au mu [...]

Egg (4)
Egg (4)

Project that combines poetry with flexible expression on an eggshell as a support.  2019

Egg (3)
Egg (3)

Project that combines poetry with flexible expression on an eggshell as a support.  2019

Egg (2)
Egg (2)

Project that combines poetry with flexible expression on an eggshell as a support.  2019

Egg (1)
Egg (1)

Project that combines poetry with flexible expression on an eggshell as a support.  2019

Paper Huipil
Paper Huipil

Huipil of Paper ““Of Matter.” Technique: Rebozos and huipil woven with thread and paper, which are conceived as poetic writing supports. It is a confluence between textile art and bookbinding. Made on a four-frame floor loom. Natural cotton an [...]

Paper Rebozos (2)
Paper Rebozos (2)

Rebozos of Paper ““Of Matter” (2). Technique: Rebozos and huipil woven with thread and paper, which are conceived as poetic writing supports. It is a confluence between textile art and bookbinding. Made on a four-frame floor loom. Natural cott [...]

Paper Rebozos, “Of Matter” (1)
Paper Rebozos, “Of Matter” (1)

Rebozos of Paper ““Of Matter” (1). Technique: Rebozos and huipil woven with thread and paper, which are conceived as poetic writing supports. It is a confluence between textile art and bookbinding. Made on a four-frame floor loom. Natural cott [...]

The Poetic Egg
The Poetic Egg

Project that combines poetry with flexible expression on an eggshell as a support.  2019

The Beetle
The Beetle

The Beetle. One of four textile pieces made with cotton thread on cardboard and glue, with the technique of “The thread of life”. The signature thread has been dyed with blood. 42.5 x 40 cm, 2014.

The Scorpion
The Scorpion

One of four textile pieces made with cotton thread on cardboard and glue, with the technique of “The thread of life”. The signature thread has been dyed with blood.43 x 34 c  2020

The Moon
The Moon

One of four textile pieces made with cotton thread on cardboard and glue, with the technique of “The thread of life”. The signature thread has been dyed with blood. 38.5 x 48 cm  2013

The Spider
The Spider

The Spider, One of four textile pieces made with cotton thread on cardboard and glue, with the technique of “The thread of life”. The signature thread has been dyed with blood. 45 x 43.5 cm, 2019.

L’étranger (The Stranger 2)
L’étranger (The Stranger 2)

L’étranger (The Stranger, original French edition), by Albert Camus. Prepared for the International Competition of the 15th World Biennial of Art Binding, held in Paris, France, in 2019. Bound in paper and thread. The cover has been painted wi [...]

L’étranger (The Stranger 1)
L’étranger (The Stranger 1)

L’étranger (The Stranger, original French edition), by Albert Camus. Prepared for the International Competition of the 15th World Art Bookbinding Biennial, held in Paris, France, in 2019. Technique: cloth binding, hemp thread and amate paper. [...]

Le Lion (The Lion)
Le Lion (The Lion)

Le lion (The Lion, original French edition), by Joseph Kessel Prepared for the International Competition of the 16th World Art Bookbinding Biennial, held in Paris, France, in 2022. The design of the bookbinding refers to the mystery of the Afr [...]

L’art d’être Grand-Père
L’art d’être Grand-Père

L’art d’être grand-père (The Art of Being a Grandfather, original French edition), by Victor Hugo Prepared for the International Competition of the 14th World Biennial of Art Bookbinding, held in Paris, France, in 2017. Technique: the cover of [...]

Pedro Páramo
Pedro Páramo

Pedro Páramo, by Juan Rulfo Prepared for the exhibition “Pliegues de la Memoria” presented at the “Juan Rulfo” Bookstore, of the Fondo de Cultura Económica, in Madrid, Spain, in May and June 2018. Technique: the construction of the shawl, that [...]

Vendredi ou la Vie Sauvage
Vendredi ou la Vie Sauvage

Vendredi ou la vie sauvage (Friday or the Wild Life, original French edition), by Michel Tournier Prepared for the International Competition of the 13th World Art Bookbinding Biennial, held in Paris, France, in 2015. Technique: bound in “chagr [...]

The Tin Drum
The Tin Drum

The Tin Drum by Günter Grass. Technique: bound in “shagreen” goatskin. Edges painted with acrylic. Two stainless steel plates have been embedded in the cover flaps and the cover of the original edition has been used on the front cover. The des [...]

Selma
Selma

Selma by Jutta Bauer Technique: “felting”, made by the textile designer Mariel Andrea Tapia Luna. Bound in handmade cloth, felted with carded, dyed and raw wool, 100% Mexican. Sewn with cotton thread. Edges carved and stained with acrylic. 11. [...]

The Clown
The Clown

Opinions of a Clown, by Heinrich BöllTechnique: bound in goatskin (morocco), with an embossed leather flap on the spine. Hand-painted endpapers and edges painted with acrylic. Cardboard lids with holes allude to a Gothic temple with its staine [...]

The Metamorphosis
The Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka Technique: bound in “shagreen” goatskin. Three superimposed and sculpted skins. Sewn with cotton thread and scartivanas on the spine. Carved edges. The image alludes to the transformation of man into an insect [...]

Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Thus Spoke Zarathustra, by Friedrich Nietzsche Technique: bound in “shagreen” goatskin. With gold titles and cotton thread details on the covers. Edges carved and stained with acrylic.18.5 x 12 cm 2015

The Magic Mountain
The Magic Mountain

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann Technique: bound in “shagreen” goatskin. Edges carved and painted with acrylic. Marble dust and oil. Details in different materials.The image alludes to what can, among many other things, be found on the mount [...]

Les Fables (Fables)
Les Fables (Fables)

Original French edition by Jean de la Fontaine. Prepared for the International Competition from the 11th World Art Bookbinding Biennial, held in Paris, France, in 2011. Technique: bound in “shagreen” goatskin, with a classic structure. On the [...]

L’aiguille Creuse (The Hollow Needle)
L’aiguille Creuse (The Hollow Needle)

L’aiguille creuse (The Hollow Needle, original French edition), by Maurice Leblanc Prepared for the International Competition of the 12th World Art Bookbinding Biennial, held in Paris, France, in 2013. Technique: bound in cloth and hemp thread [...]

María
María

María, by Jorge Isaacs Technique: bound in sheepskin leather with box. 21 x 15.5 cm 2016

USB Carrying Case
USB Carrying Case

USB Carrying Case, Technique: fabric and paper 3.5 x 8 cm 2018

Le Mariage de Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)
Le Mariage de Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)

The Mariage of Figaro, edición original en francés, de Pierre Caron de Beaumarchais   Prepared for the International Competition of the 10th World Art Bookbinding Biennial, held in Paris, France, 2009. The book presents the two theater masks a [...]

Japanese Binding (3)
Japanese Binding (3)

Japanese Binding (3), Three exercises in traditional Japanese bookbinding carried out in the workshop of Mtra. Eiko Nakao, in the City of Osaka, Japan. 16 x 21 cm., 15.5 x 20.5 cm and 16 x 16 cm 2010

Japanese Binding (2)
Japanese Binding (2)

Japanese Binding (2), Three exercises in traditional Japanese bookbinding carried out in the workshop of Mtra. Eiko Nakao, in the City of Osaka, Japan. 16 x 21 cm., 15.5 x 20.5 cm and 16 x 16 cm 2010

Japanese Binding (1)
Japanese Binding (1)

Japanese Binding (1), Three exercises in traditional Japanese bookbinding carried out in the workshop of Mtra. Eiko Nakao, in the City of Osaka, Japan. 16 x 21 cm., 15.5 x 20.5 cm and 16 x 16 cm 2010

Erotic Block
Erotic Block

Erotic Block,Block for intimate use with personal data sheets, envelope for condoms, birth control pills and security spring. Interior details alluding to the user according to gender. Cover drawing by Elisa Luna. 12 x 8.5 cm 2002

The Nest
The Nest

Diary, Technique: bound in leather spine and amate paper, with detail made with skin shavings. 23.5 x 18 cm, 2007.

Censorship Diary
Censorship Diary

Technique: bound in full leather, sheep, with detail in cotton thread. 17.5 x 11.5 cm, 2006.

United
United

Diary, Technique: Several blocks, joined together, and one loose. Technique: cloth and cotton thread.23.5 x 18 x 10 cm, 18 x 23.5 cm, 2007.

Mexican Prehistoric Codices
Mexican Prehistoric Codices

Cases made for facsimile and explanatory book of the Codices published by the Fondo de Cultura Económica. 15,000 copies made by hand. Technique: made with jute cloth and amate paper. 29 cm x 30.5 cm, 31 x 30.5cm, 1990 - 1996.

Chip Notepad
Chip Notepad

Technique: shaving with cloth. 6x.5 cm, 2010.

Alpha and Omega
Alpha and Omega

Technique: made of goatskin (morocco) and embossed. The image alludes to the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet, which symbolizes the beginning and the end of all things in ancient medieval tradition. 17.5 x 12.5 cm  1996

Case for Engravings
Case for Engravings

Technique: Notebook and explanatory book, joined together, with box. Made in Italian fabric. 24 x 17.5 cm   2004

Diary with Rhinestones (2)
Diary with Rhinestones (2)

Technique: made with parchment paper. Exposed seam with Murano glass and silver. 8 x 12 cm  2005

Diary with Rhinestones (1)
Diary with Rhinestones (1)

Technique: made with parchment paper. Exposed seam with Murano glass and silver. 8 x 12 cm  2005

Encounter
Encounter

Technique: Two newspapers linked together with exposed seam and details of Swarovski crystal. 24 x 18 cm  2006

Zara
Zara

Diary. Technique: goatskin (moroccan) with embossed details, irregularly shaped. Record with metal thread, and French guards. 23.5 x 16.5 cm  1993

Joined
Joined

Technique: French seam, exposed. Two newspapers linked together. 23.5 x 17.5 cm  2006

Mariel Binding Package
Mariel Binding Package

Prepared for the course-workshop of Introduction to Bookbinding, for children. 26 x 17.5 cm  2002

Keychain Notebooks
Keychain Notebooks

Technique: Miniature binding on paper. 6 x 5 cm  2014

Prehistoric Portablock
Prehistoric Portablock

Technique: Made of cloth and amate paper with a pre-Hispanic symbol. 24 x 16cm  2007

Prehispanic Notebook (4)
Prehispanic Notebook (4)

Technique: Bound in jutecloth, symbol in amate paper. 17.5 x 12cm  1997

Prehispanic Notebook (3)
Prehispanic Notebook (3)

Technique: Bound in amate paper. 17.7 x 24 cm  2005

Prehispanic Notebook (2)
Prehispanic Notebook (2)

Technique: Bound in amate paper. 8 x 5 cm  2005

Prehispanic Notebook (1)
Prehispanic Notebook (1)

Technique: marbled sheepskin leather and Ingres Fabriano paper, bound in the Spanish style and hand-painted endpapers. 26 x 17.5 cm  2002

Emergency Diary: Letters to Go
Emergency Diary: Letters to Go

Technique: made in Spanish marbled leather. 17 x 2.5  cm 2002

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