A young man leaned against an old elm tree and wept for the man whose grave he had just dug. This was his habit upon each interment at the Peoria State Hospital, a mental institution in Bartonville, Illinois. The young man was an inmate at the hospital and its resident gravedigger. He had been born in Austria. He was either mute or did not speak English. No one seemed to know his real name; he was called Manual [sic] Bookbinder after his trade before his hospitalization. He was also called “Old Book,” although he was not old. He was about 31 when he died in 1910. The ghostly part of the tale o ..read more

“A WPA book repair project working through the summer vacation period has reclaimed 210,438 books from the school junk heap and made them clean and fit for use.” (New York Times, 1938). The New Deal agency Works Progress Administration (later renamed Work Projects Administration) lasted only about eight years, from 1935 to1943, during the height of the Great Depression, but had an outsized influence. The goal of the program was to provide relief through employment while, at the same time, making lasting improvements to the country’s infrastructure and cultural landscape. Much has been written ..read more

A special thank you to Mr. Iraj Navidi for providing the content of this post. A Summary of the History of Iranian Traditional Hand Bookbinding Iranians learned to make paper from the Chinese, and started making paper in the city of Samarkand. Examples of Iranian paper include Samarkand, Khorasan, Tabriz and other types of paper. The need for bookbinding emerged over time to preserve and protect poems, paintings and important writings; passing information on to future generations. Book covers were initially of wood, but later included using leather and cardboard as protective covers. The evolu ..read more

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In honor of International Woman’s Day, we’re reposting this blog post from 2016. Enjoy! One of the by-products of the Industrial Revolution was a change in the status of women working outside the home. Working from home–doing piece-work in and around all the other jobs that were part of running a home, or being part of the “seasonal work force” for her husband’s business–had been part of women’s lot for centuries. But as industrialization moved manufacturing out of the home and the workshop and into the factories, women as well as men followed. The women, American-born and immigrant, who flock ..read more

Just a Journeyman Binder of Books Working from town to town A craftsman old, of an ancient guild With graying hair and wrinkled frown.   He binds the books in leather and cloth, Tools them in letters of gold Some printed thoughts that come to naught, Others of priceless mould.   Once in a while he’ll glance inside And note what lies within Gleaning a little from such aside Of wisdom, knowledge, and sin.   Sage and philosopher, braggart and knave Spill out their thoughts in a wordy pool, The Journeyman binder sees them all And absorbs a little from saint and fool.   He compa ..read more

This winter the Museum Shop at the American Bookbinders Museum is pleased to showcase the work of two extraordinary book artisans. Pietro Accardi was born in Turin, in northwestern Italy, where his father, Gaetano, was the founder of Typografia Accardi. After working at his father’s press, Accardi went on to study restoration, paper marbling, and bookbinding; for over a decade his bindery, La Legatoria del Sole, was a vital part of the restoration efforts in Turin’s libraries and archives. Now living and working in the Sierra Nevadas, Pietro Accardi’s work combines marbling and binding techniq ..read more

    Saturday, October 7 through Saturday, October 14 This year the American Bookbinders Museum hosts eight days and evenings of Litquake events, from panel discussions for new writers and kid-friendly events to featured authors and readers. See the Litquake site for a full listing of events, both at ABM and all around the city. The post Litquake at ABM first appeared on American Bookbinders Museum | San Francisco ..read more

The city is doing construction on Clementina Street, but don’t be daunted: sidewalks are still open, and so is the Bookbinders Museum. Come visit! The post ABM is Open! first appeared on American Bookbinders Museum | San Francisco ..read more

“A WPA book repair project working through the summer vacation period has reclaimed 210,438 books from the school junk heap and made them clean and fit for use.” (New York Times, 1938). The New Deal agency Works Progress Administration (later renamed Work Projects Administration) lasted only about eight years, from 1935 to1943, during the height of the Great Depression, but had an outsized influence. The goal of the program was to provide relief through employment while, at the same time, making lasting improvements to the country’s infrastructure and cultural landscape. Much has been written ..read more