American Bookbinders Museum

The story of the Book!

We preserve the art of western bookbinding as a hand process through early mechanization to promote a deeper understanding of the impact of book production on the American Experience.

The American Bookbinders Museum is the only museum of its kind in North America. We celebrate and share the history, tools and stories of bookbinding from the 16th century through the changes and innovations of the 19th century.

The American Bookbinders Museum is a registered 501(c)3 organization.

Exhibits

American Bookbinders Museum General Admission

Museum Day ticket holders are granted general admission to the American Bookbinders Museum allowing the ticket holder to take a self-guided audio tour of the main exhibit hall, which is a an introduction to hand binding processes of the 16th century and its automation in the 19th century. The audio tour is accessed via your smart phone or tablet; please remember to bring your earbuds for listening. Free WiFi is available at the museum.

No Docent-led tours will be offered on Museum Day to better accommodate Museum Day ticket holders.

General admission also includes access to the Gallery, housing a temporary exhibit of hand bound books created and exhibited by the Hand Bookbinders of California, and access to the Museum Shop.

Participation in Museum Day is open to any tax-exempt or governmental museum or cultural venue on a voluntary basis. Smithsonian magazine encourages museum visitation, but is not responsible for and does not endorse the content of the participating museums and cultural venues, and does not subsidize museums that participate.