American Bookbinders Museum: The Story of the Book

American Bookbinders Museum: The Story of the Book

Culture & history Activities Entry tickets Art Wheelchair accessible Things to do for adults Art & Museums History & heritage Museums & exhibitions Family-friendly Audio Guides

We tell the story of the book! Learn the history of bookbinding and walk-through the hand binding process used until it was automated; see machines invented in the 1800s for mass production.

Our Top Experiences and Tours in San Francisco:

If youʻre booking your trip to San Francisco last minute, we have you covered. Below are some of the top tours and experiences!

View All Experiences

Highlights

The only bookbinding museum in North America
Interactive exhibits and hands-on activites
Rotating special exhibitis for a deeper dive into the book!

Description

Self-guided and audio tours available Tuesday - Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Try hands-on activities like folding and sewing, or immerse yourself in one of our rotating special exhibits for a deeper-dive into the book. The American Bookbinders Museum is located at 355 Clementina Street in San Francisco. We are just steps away from Moscone Center and public transportation (BART/MUNI/AC Transit Buses) in the beautiful and diverse Yerba Buena District south of Market Street. The museum offers self-guided tours including audio tours that are accessible on your smart phone or tablet--don't forget your earbuds! If you do we have disposable earbuds for devices with a compatible jack or you can borrow a tablet. Prefer to read? Follow our Signature Tour as you walk-through the museum. After the tour you'll know why we call it our Signature tour! Exhibits are interactive, our staff is always happy to answer questions, and you can try your hand at and some of the bookbinding skills illustrated in the tour. For you shoppers, check out our specially curated hand-made journals, jewelry and other bookish gifts in our museum shop. Many items are unique and made by local artisans. Visit this on-of-a-kind museum! Once you've been here you'll never look at a book the same again!