The PCBA is a membership organization founded in 1980 to support and promote interest in the book arts and all its constituent fields: printing, bookbinding, calligraphy, typography, paper making, conservation, book design, and illustration. More information, as well as membership forms, is available at on their website.

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Photos from the 2008 Member's Exhibition

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Green Chair Press

 
Ampersand
The Quarterly Journal of the Book Arts
 
From 2005-2009, I edited Ampersand, the quarterly journal of the PCBA. It had articles about all aspects of the book arts, from historical commentary to profiles of working artists to practical how-to tutorials. The informative articles are generously illustrated with photographs.

Back issues are no longer available. If you have questions, contact me by email.

 

Winter 2010 (vol. 27 no. 1), 22 pages. In this issue:

History/Origin of the California Job Case
Ever wondered how the California job case came to be? Fred Williams did the research for you.

Profile/Book Artists Who Make Their own Paper: Peter Thomas, Mary Ellen Long and Lisa Beth Robinson.
Debbie Kogan talked to three book artists who make their own paper about what making their own paper contributes to their art. This is part one of a two-part series.

Took/Book Arts Tools on Etsy
Susan Angebranndt shows us some of the book arts tools available on Etsy.com

Reflection/So What Do We Call Ourselves Anyway?
Peter Thomas proposes a new name for book artists. Let us know what you think!

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Fall 2009 (vol. 26 no. 5), 24 pages. In this issue:

A Vandercook Potluck
2009 marked the 100th anniversary of the Vandercook proof press. John McBride reports on a celebration in San Francisco.

Profile/Donna Seager: Patron Saint of the Artist Book
Donna Seager Gallery in San Rafael is renowned for its selection of artists' books. Emily Marks talks to Donna about her passion for artist's books.

Translating a Complex Fine Press Edition into a Trade Edition
Johnny Carrera reveals the process of collaborating with Chronicle Books to produce the trade edition of his fine press book, "Pictorial Webster's."

Review/Bunny Matters
Christine Hemp reviews artist Sas Colby's first editioned book, "Bunnies on Ice."

Review/Miscreant: An (Ant)hology
Lars Kim reviews the latest book from Litorial Press, a compendium of poems about ants.

Appreciation/Carl Dern: A Remembrance

Diversion/A Gothic Text

End Note/Book Manners: Lesson Number 2

10:1 Scale model of the Vandercook Universal 1 Hand Test Press for you to construct

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Summer 2009 (vol. 26 no. 4), 26 pages. In this issue:

Doing Business / 23 Sandy Gallery
Deborah Kogan talks to Laura Russell about building a successful business as a photographer, book artist, gallery owner, and arts promoter in Portland, Oregon.

Broadside / Showing off Weiss
Leonard Seastone’s homage quote to type designer Emil Rudolf Weiss.

Book Review / Book + Art
Susan Angebranndt looks at Dorothy Simpson Krause’s new book.

Review / The Hybrid Book Conference
Linda Smith’s review of this conference, held earlier this year in Philadelphia.

Techniques / Making Losing Ground
Dorothy Simpson Krause shows us how she made the collages in her newest artist’s book.

Book Review / How to Make Books
cj grossman looks at Esther Smith’s book.

Influences / Nigel Poor
The 2007 artist-in-residence at the San Francisco Center for the Book talks about the development of her artist’s book The Relative Value of Things.

History of the Book / Limp Bindings
Monica Langwe looks at the interesting limp bindings she found in Estonia.

Techniques / The Star Book 
Ginger Burrell gives us instructions for making two variations of this visually interesting structure.

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Spring 2009 (vol. 26 no. 3), 20 pages. In this issue:

Profile / Carol Blinn
Carol Blinn has been a letterpress printer and book artist for over 30 years. She talks to Deborah Kogan about her work and how she’s made a successful business.

Connections / Cootie Catchers
Esther K. Smith’s instructions for making cootie catchers. Included with this issue is a pre-printed sheet for making your own.

Doing Business / Selling on Etsy
Selling online can be a lot of work. Rhonda Miller tells us about Etsy, a website for selling handmade goods directly from the artist.

Exhibitions / BABA’s Conversations
Deborah Kogan talks about a recent exhibition organized by the Bay Area Book Artists called “Conversations.”

Techniques / Papermaking 
In the third of three articles on papermaking, Ginger Burrell explores embedding photographs while forming sheets and printing directly on handmade paper using an inkjet printer and Golden Digital Grounds.

Techniques / Lining Envelopes
Kim Vanderheiden tells us her trick for lining envelopes with thin tissue or paper.

Book Review / The Craftsman

Photos from the 2009 PCBA Printers’ Fair

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Winter 2009 (vol. 26 no. 2), 24 pages. In this issue:

Profile / Tamar Stone
Tamar Stone creates bookworks that present narratives from the lives of women from the 1800s to the present day. Deborah Kogan describes how Stone has developed two major bodies of work.

Connections / A Poem in Your Pocket 
Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day — April 30 — by making a book to share. Cathy Miranker explains how.

Techniques / Papermaking 
In the second of three articles on papermaking, Ginger Burrell talks about artist's books using embedded objects in handmade paper.

Techniques / Double-Fan Adhesive Binding 
Quick and easy, the double-fan adhesive or millennial binding is a great solution for turning single sheets into an extremely durable paperback book that opens flat and stays open. Susan Angebranndt tells how.

Book Review / Magic Books & Paper Toys

Appreciation / Steve Woodall
Last fall, Steve, long active in the PCBA, moved from San Francisco to Chicago to become the Director of Columbia College's Center for Book & Paper Arts. He'll be much missed by those of us in San Francisco.

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Fall 2008 (vol. 26 no. 1), 29 pages. In this issue:

Profile / Tara Bryan
Deborah Kogan tells us how artist Tara Bryan found her way to the book arts.

Techniques / Single Sheet Tunnel Book 
Tara Bryan used this structure for the tunnel book on the cover of this "Ampersand." Included with this issue is a separate sheet, pre-scored, for you to make your own tunnel book.

Techniques / Making Wood Type
Scott Polzen tells us about making his own wood type.

Techniques / Papermaking with Plants 
In the first of three articles on handmade paper, Ginger Burrell gives detailed instructions for making paper from plants in your garden.

Techniques / A Simple Origami Booklet
Carolyn Leigh's theme and variations on a simple folded book structure.

Techniques / The Youngest Bookmakers
Cathy Miranker shares some of her tips and tricks for teaching bookmaking to pre-reading, pre-writing kids.

Reflections /The Background's the Thing
Alisa Golden contemplates the similarities between short short fiction and artists' books.

Doing Business / Selling Your Books
Jill Timm talks about "Artist Book News".

End Note / A Recent Obsession
Emma Sovich's experience designing and letterpress printing a book of poetry.

Back Cover / In the Beginning
A collaboration between Jennie Hinchcliff and Peter Thomas.

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Summer 2008 (vol. 25 no. 4), 29 pages. In this issue:

Catalog for 2008 Members Exhibition, Booksworks
Documents the over 100 entries in our 13th Triennial Members Exhibition

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Spring 2008 (vol. 25 no. 3), 22 pages. In this issue:

History of the Book / Broadsides
At one time it would have been hard to know anything about anything without broadsides. They were the radio drama, television news, billboard, CD ROM, public opinion poll, and tabloid all rolled into one. Theresa Whitehill shares some old and new examples.

On Collecting / Coveting Type
Holli Conger talks about her typography collection.

Influences
Kitty Maryatt answers the question "Is there an (artist's) book that has particularly affected your own work?"

Doing Business / The Public Record 
What information should you include with a bookwork or edition? Retired academic librarian Charles Brownson has some suggestions.

Exhibitions / Conceptually Bound
D. Cichon tells us about a recent exhibition of artists books in Mountain View, CA.

Influences
Emily Martin answers the question "Is there an (artist's) book that has particularly affected your own work?"

Tools / A Studio To Go 
Traveling often involves lots of waiting; Carolyn Leigh uses the spare time to make books and shares her travel kits with us.

Doing Business / Getting Permission 
Ever wondered if you could use the illustrations from an old book in your own artwork? Attorney Sarah Feingold demystifies what you can and cannot use.

Influences
Bonnie Thompson Norman answers the question "Is there an (artist's) book that has particularly affected your own work?"

Book Reviews
People of the Book and three books on binding techniques.

End Page
Photos from the 2008 Printers' Fair

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Winter 2008 (vol. 25 no. 2), 22 pages. In this issue:

Interviews / On Craft
Inge Bruggeman, Michelle Burgess, Bill Kelly, Emily McVarish, Harry Reese and BarbaraTetenbaum comment on the role of craft in their work.

Influences / Interplay of Type and Image
Elsi Vassdal Ellis answers the question "Is there an (artist's) book that has particularly affected your own work?"

Appreciation / On Helvetica
Andrew Hoyem on the 50th anniversary of the typeface Helvetica.

Broadside / Ruth McGurk
A broadside for this seemingly endless election year: "A Chicken in Every Pot."

On Collecting / The Thrill of the Swap
Anne Rita Taylor talks about the book swaps she's participated in.

Techniques / Tiny Relief Printing 
Sarah Whorf's nifty method for printing on a modified credit card imprinter.

Review / Personal Book Printing
Kevin Kelly looks at services that provide printed-on-demand books.

History of the Book / The Book as Spinate 
Hedi Kyle contemplates the book spine in this reprint from the Autumn 1991 Ampersand.

Influences / Wordlist Poetry
Jocelyn Bergen answers the question "Is there an (artist's) book that has particularly affected your own work?"

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Fall 2007 (vol. 25 no. 1), 26 pages. In this issue:

Profile / Artists Making Fabric Books
Deborah Kogan profiles four artists making books using fabric and cloth pages.

Exhibition Review / Fiber + Book
Steven Daiber reviews Fiber + Book at the Fiber Art Center Gallery in Amherst MA.

Exhibition Review / Quilted Books?
John Cutrone reports on the books from the Gold Coast Quilters Guild Book Arts competition.

Broadside / Melissa Kaup-Augustine
Melissa Kaup-Augustine talks about the broadside she made for the Mutanabi Street Coalition exhibition in October.

History of the Book / al-Mutanabi Street
An excerpt from the blog of Dr Saad Eskander, the director of the Iraq National Library and Archive, about the al-Mutanabi Street bombing and efforts to save and restore the Library.

Around the Bay / Two Member Shows
This fall PCBA sponsored two member shows: the juried exhibition Cutting Edge Books and the annual exhibit and fund-raiser, The Calendar.

Tools / Print Gocco
Nikki Thompson reports on the efforts to save production of the Japanese-made printing system, Print Gocco. She also interviews Gocco printer Lois Morrison.

Influences / Phil Zimmermann
Phil answers the question "Is there an artists' book that has particularly effected your own work?"

End Note / Letter from a Muddy Island
Juliet Doyle muses on ampersands.

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Summer 2007 (vol. 24 no. 4), 26 pages. In this issue:

Interviews / Snapshots of Book Arts in Asia
How are artists using the book form in Asia? Alisa Golden finds out.

Book Review
Alice Austin reviews Barbara Tetenbaum's A Guide to Experimental Letterpress Techniques.

Influences / An Accounting of Things
John DeMerritt and Nora Pauwels talk about the inception and making of their recent book, De Rekening.

Broadside / Laura Szujewska
Laurie Szujewska talks about the broadsides she made for the PCBA-sponsored group exhibit, "Effects of War: Altered Lives, Altered Books."

Resources / Zines
Carolee Wheeler tells us about some of her favorite zines.

Exhibition Review / Effects of War
Amy Davidson reviews the PCBA-sponsored group exhibit, "Effects of War: Altered Lives, Altered Books."

Appreciation / Gloria Helfgott
Steve Woodall remembers LA-based book artist Gloria Helfgott.

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Spring 2007 (vol. 24 no. 3), 26 pages. In this issue:

History of the Book / Pochoir 
In this article reprinted from Bookways, Frances Butler gives a history of and techniques for pochoir, a coloring technique using stencils

Interview / Remembering the Light
Kyle Schlesinger talks to book artist and printer Mary Laird

Techniques / Flipbooks
In the second of two articles, Deborah Kogan shares her experiences making her first flip book, 'hip hop at fifteen'

Doing Business / Setting the Table
Kate Godfrey gives hints and suggestions for showing off your work at book and craft fairs

Reviews
Georgette Freeman comments on the recent Codex Foundation book fair, Nikki Thompson reviews an exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC and Alisa Golden tells us about her serendipitous discovery of an exhibit of mexican street graphics

Resources / Artists' Sketchbooks
Andie Thrames shares her list of favorite books on artists' sketchbooks and visual journals.

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Winter 2007 (vol. 24 no. 2), 22 pages. In this issue:

History of the Book / Flipbooks
In the first of two articles, Deborah Kogan explores the artists' flipbook

Interview / New Paradigms From The Outset
Kyle Schlesinger talks to Granary Books' Steve Clay about publishing

Broadside / The Lovers' Tree
Bill Denham and Kim Vanderheiden collaborate on a broadside of Bill's poetry

Profile / Memorial Bookworks
Kate Godfrey talks to Gabriel Ella about his bookwork

Influences
Mary Laird answers the question "What artist's book has particularly effected your own work?"

Appreciation / Inside Out
Lisa Rappoport's on-going compilation of poetry about printing

Doing Business / Get Printed
Deb Carlen suggests ways to get your story into the newspaper

Tools / Edgy
Alisa Golden tells us about some nifty tools that can add to your work without being cute or kitschy

Around the Bay / The Calendar 2007
A sampler of works from the annual member show at SFCB

Endnote / Movable Books?
Peter Thomas ruminates on what makes a book "movable"

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Fall 2006 (vol. 24 no. 1), 22 pages. In this issue:

History of the Book / Orihon's Triumph
Hedi Kyle looks at the origin and adaptations of the concertina fold

Profile / Play, Weaving, Risk, Pattern
Sara McManus gives us a glimpse into Kitty Maryatt's class, "Typography and the Book Arts," at Scripps College

Broadside / I Speak of the Jazz Poets
Lisa Rappoport's broadside of a Jack Crimmin's poem

Appreciation / Lloyd Reynolds
Gay Walker remembers the calligrapher and teacher Lloyd Reynolds

Around the Bay / Out of Our Control
Deborah Kogan looks at Margaret Tedesco's flip books

Techniques / A Tie Clasp
Deborah Kogan & Catherine Helfer detail instructions for making a tie clasp with your own hand-made linen cord

Book Reviews
Gerald Lange reviews Neil Macmillian's An A-Z of Type Designers, and Amy Davidson looks at the recent multiplicity of books about altered books

Tools / When Good Pens Go South
Georgette Freeman's love affair with her Manuscript calligraphic pen

Resources / Royalty-free Images

Endnote / Letter from Italy
Cathy Miranker discovers a book bonanza in Siena, Italy

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Summer 2006 (vol. 23 no. 4), 25 pages. In this issue:

Retrospective / Janus Press
A pictorial walk through 25 years of Claire Van Vliet's broadsides

Profile / Cari Ferraro
Calligrapher Cari Ferraro talks about contemporary calligraphic artists' books

Techniques / A Surprise Inside
David Rosen gives instructions and tips for the Turkish map fold

Collaborations / Thicket Press
Katherine Case reports on how her poetry group tackles publishing their own limited edition books

Doing Business / Money Matters
Claire Van Vliet talks about running Janus Press, artistically and financially

Around the Bay / Bound to Inspire
The Bay Area Book Artists' 10th Anniversary Member Show

Book Reviews
Betty Bright's No Longer Innocent, Karen Cheng's Designing Type, and two books issued in conjunction with the 2005 "ABC: The Artists' Books Conference" — Keynote Addresses and Resonance and Response

Tools
A review of the Japanese Book Drill plus instructions on how to make a simple finishing press

Appreciation / Weather Bird Press
Pat Reagh remembers the fine press printer and publisher Vance Gerry

End Note
Peter Thomas has suggestions for showing artists' books in galleries

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Winter/Spring 2006 (vol. 23 no. 2-3), 34 pages. In this issue:

Appreciation / Heagy's Warehouse
Why we'll miss Jim Heagy's Hunters Point warehouse, a treasure-trove for letterpress printers all over Northern California for more than 25 years

Doing Business / Photographing Books
Tips and tricks for documenting and staging your work

In Brief / Books
Carol Barton's The Pocket Paper Engineer; Sarah Bodman's Creating Artists' Books

2006 Member Show
Catalogue of the 12th Triennial PCBA Members Exhibition, Bookworks 2006, including photos of the 83 works in the show and the winners of the Steven Corey Award for emerging artists and the Alastair Johnston Award for fine printing

Interview / Swiss Impressions
Merilyn Umboh talks with Swiss typographer and letterpress printer, Romano Hänni

Techniques / Through the Looking Glass
Mary Brennan & George Simonson look at pastepapers that go beyond book covers and end sheets

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Fall 2005 (vol. 23 no. 1), 24 pages. In this issue:

Profile / Bea Nettles
Over the last 35 years, Bea Nettles has built a successful career as a fine art photographer and book artist by quietly breaking the rules and feeling her own way forward. Debbie Kogan reviews her career. (Read the article)

Around the Bay / Cowell Press
Gregory Graalfs discusses the unique legacy of the Cowell Press at UC Santa Cruz on book arts in the Bay Area

Collaborations / Staying Limber
Macy Chadwick talks about her playful long-distance collaborations with Lisa Hasegawa (Read the article)

Reader's Notebook / Judging a photobook by its cover 
Molly Schwartzburg looks at Langston Hughes and Roy DeCarava's "The Sweet Flypaper of Life"

Resources / Opportunities in Europe for Book Artists
Carrie Galbraith's guide includes exhibitions, book fairs, collections, residencies, schools, and more

Doing Business / On the Web
Tips for a successful website to promote your book arts business

Techniques / Gocco Etching 
Nicholas Yeager explains how to use a Gocco printer to etch images in metal

Appreciation / Gaza Bowen
Friends remember the Santa Cruz book artist, who was known for her shoe sculptures as well as her bookworks

End Note
Comments on a book arts exhibit at the Getty Center in Los Angeles

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Summer 2005 (vol. 22 no. 4), 24 pages. In this issue:

Working Methods / By Chance: Serendipity and Randomness in Contemporary Artists' Books
Yale special collections librarian Jae Jennifer Rossman and book artist Robin Price survey the approaches of artists who use unpredictability and chance in their work. They discuss such methods as the Exquisite Corpse and reader-determined randomness. Includes photographs of many of the works discussed.

Collaborations / Concert for Letterpress, Guitar and Percussion
Kathleen Walkup discusses the concert that was the culmination of Helen Mirra's residency at Mills College.

Profile / Hedi Kyle: Liberating the Book 
For over 30 years, Kyle has been folding paper and inventing book structures. Debbie Kogan reviews her career. Includes photographs of several of Kyle's book structures.

Techniques / Two Structures from Hedi Kyle
Instructions, with illustrations, for Kyle's "blizzard" and "crown" bindings

Doing Business / At Book Fairs
Fairs can be good venues for marketing and selling your work; a number of book artists share their experiences.

End Note
Charles Hobson comments on what makes an artist's book.

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Inside page:
Calendar Show Catalogue

Spring 2005: Marking Time (vol. 22 no. 3), 16 pages. The first half of this issue documents the 2005 Member Show, which included calendar works by 29 PCBA artists and was on display at the San Francisco Center for the Book during January and February 2005. The second article describes how the digital age has liberated book artists by enabling them to combine traditional craft skills and digital technologies. Finally, we look at how three book artists have used the calendar format and its matrix of days and weeks to explore aspects of time and meaning in their daily lives. In this issue:

The 2005 Calendar Show catalogue

Realizing the Artistic Vision
Saul Rosenfield, Daniel Gonzalez, and Nicholas Yeager each combined traditional mark-making skills and newer digital technologies to make their works for the Calendar Show.

Quantifying the Quotidian
Most of Arthur Huang's documentations mark the passage of time through the most quotidian elements of daily life: food and money.

Telling Time
Beata Wehr's calendar grids exist, not to faithfully replicate a given month or year, but to tell time as a visual story.

Exploring the Visual World of Dreams
For over twenty years, Genie Shenk has given visual form to her nightly dreams and collected these images into an annual dream calendar.

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Fall 2004/Winter 2005: Resource Guide (vol. 22 no. 1-2), 32 pages.

The biannual PCBA Resource Guide is a 32-page practical catalogue of book-arts resources for practitioners at all stages of experience. It's also intended as a source of inspiration and a spur to further inquiry. Brief annotations throughout endeavor to supply insight about the listings. The marginalia are eclectic, listing how-to tips, useful websites, helpful suppliers, thought-provoking quotations and must-read books. The Guide concludes with an index so you can zero in on your particular needs. Its generous white space is yours to fill with opinions and discoveries of your own.

The chapters include: Printing, Typography & Book Design, Paper, Bookbinding, Stocking your Studio, Schools & Workshops, Promoting your Bookwork, and Web links.

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