I write to be effusive. The American Bookbinders Museum, the only such institution of its type in the nation, cannot but be the best given its status. But it is excellent, even if an imaginary rival existed. If it appeals, then it is for you. If you have no idea what the subject is, then avoid it; the exception would be if you preternaturally curious or mechanically or historically inclined (mechano-historically?). It is well worth stopping by in its SOMA neighborhood, and the entrance fee is supporting a cause, a nonprofit organization. The background is I have taken a couple of courses in bookbinding, and I've been a failure. Most museums, I go through at a pace that embarrasses my wife. In this instance, however, I thought to myself that I need a return visit. The museum is exactly what it purports to be. On one side, it has a set of display cabinets (if you are fancy, "vitrine") explaining the history of printing to the present day. On the other side, it has the equipment that was used. There is a front gallery as well, which on the occasion of our stopping by had the finalists for an annual contest in the contemporary art of the name. A small gift shop is in the lobby. They have a hands-on back section. We did not experience it. The manager, Sage, was gracious and thoughtful. read more

Wow, absolutely spectacular museum!! Hands down my favorite museum in San Francisco, one of the best stops I made during this whole vacation. I really loved just how much material they had here, it was so full and in-depth, I couldn't believe how educational and interesting it was. And all the big machinery and equipment, complete with historical illustrations on the walls behind. Plus the interactive parts, the folding, the weaving. Wow, what a wonderful place! read more

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Interesting history museum about printing press Gutenberg haha Philadelphia and San Francisco are very different but bricks and kicks ..listened to audio tour and signed up and hopefully now I can be an official Shakespeare tragedy read more

Great little museum for a selective audience- any one who loves books and the way they are made. Lots of interesting equipment and displays. We were not able to see them, but sometimes live displays of the equipment. read more

Neat little museum that covers the history of how books are made. Audio tour was about an hour long and very informative. There is also a hands on section for you to try to mimic parts of the manufacturing process. Street parking was spartan so we parked in the garage they mentioned on their website. Friendly staff. Recommend going if you aren't aware of how books are made. read more

Who knew the history of bookbinding could be so interesting! Anita gave our small group about a 90-minute tour that walked us through the entire process of creating the earliest bound books, starting with a set of printed folios that would be folded into "signatures", and then creased, pounded, sewn, rounded, covered, gilded, etc. You see the evolution of increasingly sophisticated machines to bind books, along with some other unusual machines, like a giant stapler that makes its own staples. We learned a lot and really appreciated Anita's detailed talk. Ignore the idiotic one-star review that complains about the tour hours--that review should be deleted. Every museum with tours does them at specific hours, so check their website or call them to confirm the day and time you want to catch a tour. It's well worth your time. read more

If you are in San Francisco, be sure to fit in this half hour bookbinding tour. Far more interesting than it sounds, your extremely friendly, passionate, knowledgable tour guide will break down the history of how knowledge disseminated through the centuries and across continents. I left there feeling as if I had just finished a great book on the rise of technology, culture, and literacy on a global level. I had no idea how much the practice of binding books would tell me about human behavior. Despite its small size, this museum is possibly one of my favorites of all time because of the quality of the tour. Cannot recommend highly enough. read more

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Several centuries from now, we may have iPad-Kindle-Nook museums. Till then, contemporary humankind reflects on the journey of the bound paper format known as the book. Currently in a partial layout till November for which full-blown book display and machine demos are in the works, the docent-led tour is fairly linear from the front to the back of the space. A technological timeline as well as the bookmaking process are somewhat ingrained into the narration. My tour was an hour and a half; yours will depend on your level of interest and asking questions. If you're an AAU student in the Book Arts classes, if you like SF Center for the Book, if you're a librarian, if you memorized the phone book and / or tore it apart with your bare hands... I highly suggest calling to set up a visit. For other appreciators of art, this place is worth a look. read more

American Bookbinders Museum - Museums Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Didn't know what to expect. I was thinking how much can you really say about making books. But tour is very thorough and I thought it was interesting. Bookbinding started as a very skilled craft and the process to make them was intricate. Then the industrial revolution came and changed it. If you want to take a break from going to the movies, recommend doing a docent led tour read more

After seeing hints of their lovely collection at several Antiquarian Book Fairs, I finally took the plunge and visited. Admittedly, as an avid lover of books and all things associated with their history, I may be biased but this place is BREATHTAKING. Through their unmatched collection of machines and ephemera, they offer an unforgettable glimpse into the history of the book. Whether experienced from the eyes of a child or an adult, there is something you will discover that will ruminate within you leaving you with this urge to come back for a bit more. Much respect to the founder, Tim James, for putting his passion to the best possible use. read more

This is a wonderful museum! Make time to visit. We wandered in while visiting San Francisco and took up an unreasonable amount of time with questions for the knowledgable and gracious proprietor. Everyone we met seemed genuinely happy to take the time to help us understand more about a craft that they know and appreciate. You'll learn things you never knew you didn't know about books. The most informative, personal, and interactive tour I've been on in recent memory. read more

A very interesting little museum. We had a private tour--the docent was very nice and knowledgable. She told my daughter and I about the history of book binding and printing. They have many original machines. It is a bit difficult to find because of all of the construction, and the entrance is off of a small street. We attended the 10am tour. My daughter, who is 9, enjoyed it. Makes you look at a book differently. read more

If you love books, this is a must. Learn the history of the art/process of making a book. Very informed staff and docents.

This place is GREAT! Book lovers unite! The staff is wonderful, the tour is historical and entertaining, and it is WELL worth the time to be exposed to such an important aspect of human history! read more

Now located at 355 Clementina! This place is truly wonderful. Docent led tours take you through the history of a surprising number of book binding and printing equipment (much of which is still functional and happily demonstrated). The people working here are clearly not only knowledgable, but passionate about the art of book binding. This is a great museum for both adults and *in my opinion as an elementary art educator* small groups of young students (probably over the age of 10, depending on behavior and supervision -- due to the very large/heavy/valuable freestanding equipment). They even have an exhibit of hand-bound book arts, which is fantastic. read more

This was a great tour for my teen who loves old books. We learned the history of bookbinding and its evolution to mass publishing with a fun and very knowledgeable docent. Seeing so many period machines and getting a chance to try out a printing press made this better than just a museum visit. read more

Really not a practical place to visit. They have flyers all over town saying their hours but if you show up during those hours you will find that tours are only given twice a day. 11 & 2. We showed up at 300 not knowing this. So call before you visit their literature is wrong. Being a book place we found this odd that is why a single star. read more

This fabulous museum in downtown SF is a small but very informative and demonstrative museum about how books have been made from the Middle Ages until today. It's the only museum of its kind in North America. We did a docent-led tour that lasted an hour and a half. Tours cost $12 for youth and $15 for adults. It covered the advancement of technology from guilds to the industrial revolution to today as well as the wide-ranging social implications of increased access to books over the centuries. Really interesting. It's a small museum and definitely worth it to do the guided tour. Best for adults and kids 10 and older. (My nine year old got a bit overwhelmed with the depth of info although the docent adds lots of fascinating stories.) Where else are you going to get to see old bookbinding machines in action? At the end visitors get to try their hand at the printing press. We are all already so intimately acquainted with books - why not learn how their production and use evolved over time? read more

LOVE, lllooovveee, l o v e ! ! ! I knew i would like it, but I fell in love with it. The machinery was so badass and such an incredible piece of the history of democracy. The staff is so wonderful and the tour is worth every penny. On the tour she actually binds books, shaves the spine, prints a page on the Guttenberg press and staples a book using the antique machinery, it was unforgettable. SO special. read more

A wonderful place that showcases a very cool part of american history! Thrilled to meet everyone there and looking forward to collaborating with them at The Box SF around the corner! read more

As stated previously, the entrance is on Clementina St. Great little museum and Tim was a wonderful docent. Very interesting history of bookbinding through the Industrial Age. I learned quite a bit! Did you know that page edge marbling was actually done in ledgers for security purposes? Learn all about that and other interesting information. Docent tours are at 10:00 and 2:00 and take about an hour. Check it out! read more

Great docent lead tour giving a fabulous historical journey through the lens of book binding.

This is a great little museum in SoMa (South of Market Street) that is only one of two of its kind in the world with the other being in Istanbul, Turkey. The museum is a very interesting and inviting space with some nice architectural touches. There is a small area with some display cases just inside the door, but the real heart of the museum is the line up of equipment that is used in both bookbinding and in printing that runs from the front to the back of the museum. Since machinery is involved, visitors need to sign up for a tour so they can see the docents actually operate the equipment. At times, visitors are invited to perform some tasks. Visitors should call and find out tour times as the times may fluctuate. I'm a retired historian, so I especially appreciated the historical information, but the tour was anything but a dry recitation of facts. Any lover of books will find the tour to be fascinating and that includes curious kids who like to see how things work. The next time we're in San Francisco with our twin grandkids, who are starting their freshman years in high school, we'll definitely take them to the Bookbinders Museum. I know they'll really be intrigued. One advisory note. Clementina is a small street--almost an alley--that is between Howard Street to the northwest and Folsom Street to the southeast and between 4th Street to the northeast and 5th Street to the southeast. Clementina is such a small street that it may not appear on the single sheet maps that hotels often give to guests. This is a great addition to the San Francisco cultural scene and the people who welcome visitors to the museum do a wonderful job. I look forward to a return visit. read more

Our trip to the museum began - and ended - at the front desk. I purchased tickets online at 2pm the day prior to our visit. We arrived at the museum at around 2:30 for the 3pm tour, only to be told that the 3pm tour had been cancelled due to a private event. We were told that this was on their website, but it was not there when I purchased the tickets (nor was it there when I returned home and checked the site). The manager blamed the vendor that provided the ticket purchasing software for not allowing them to block dates or times. And she did not offer a refund - I had to ask for it. I guess the money they got for the special event was worth more to them than my measly $20. A word to the wise - be sure to call before leaving your home or hotel to make sure they'll let you in. read more

We wondered in off the street to this museum and were given a wonderful tour by the owner. He spent so much time with us and an happily answered all our questions. It was very interesting and I learned so much. read more