San Francisco Center for the Book is the center of inspiration for the book arts world, featuring the art & craft of letterpress printing, bookbinding, and artists bookmaking.

SFCB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that fosters the joy of books and bookmaking, the history, artistry, and continuing presence of books in our culture and enduring importance as a medium of self-expression. We provide both a home for Bay Area book artists and a place where the wider community can discover book arts. Everyone is welcome here, experienced practitioners and newcomers alike.

We offer more than 300 workshops annually, which offer learning opportunities at all levels: from introductory classes, to focused advanced and master courses spanning the range of bookbinding and letterpress printing techniques, from traditional methods to cutting-edge printing techniques and experimental book forms.

Exhibitions at San Francisco Center for the Book are designed to inform and inspire visitors. Free public programs include opening receptions for exhibitions in the gallery, book release parties for our publications, gallery talks, tours, open houses, mixers and more.

The Center of a Book

The first of its kind on the West Coast.

Mary Austin and Kathleen Burch, Founders of the San Francisco Center for the Book, recognized a growing need in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and on the West Coast for a facility specifically designed and equipped to support the appreciation, teaching, and creation of book arts. The San Francisco Center for the Book was incorporated in March of 1996 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

THE GRAND OPENING

The grand opening celebration on July 30, 1996, of the first location of San Francisco Center for the Book on De Haro Street between 16th and 17th Streets, along an old railroad line in the Potrero Hill District, attracted an overflow crowd of more than 400 people. That first workshop season consisted of 64 students and a dozen classes.

NORTHWARD BOUND

By 2002, with the renaissance of book arts picking up steam, San Francisco Center for the Book moved to the north end of the same building, to larger accommodations that included a view of an old railcar next door, to house an ever-growing collection of bookbinding and letterpress equipment, tools, and type. To meet public demand, this move also provided space for more and larger workshops.

ACROSS THE TRACKS

In early 2013, the San Francisco Center for the Book moved to a 7,000 square foot space just around the corner and across what used to be railroad tracks, to the Rhode Island Street side of the same block, in what is now known as the Do.Re.Mi (DOgpatch-PotREro-Hill-MIssion) Design and Arts District, surrounded on all sides by galleries, art studios and other arts organizations in a hub of art and design studios, galleries, and technology firms. The move to the larger space space allowed San Francisco Center for the Book to expand to include an exhibition gallery sitting aside the print studio, a platemaking lab, a separate bindery, arts and crafts room, and administrative offices.

The present and the future.

Currently offering hundreds of workshops each year, and serving thousands of students, book arts enthusiasts, and community members each year, SFCB has never been stronger.

In addition to workshops, SFCB presents exhibitions and events, hosts special visits and hands-on demonstrations, and much more. Plan your visit today!