Oscar Lewis recalled, on the occasion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of The Book Club of California, that the Club's founding was inspired by bureaucratic preference of organizations over individuals. There were bibliophiles in San Francisco in 1912; there was fine bookmaking; and there was an idea for an exhibit of local and international fine bookmaking at the upcoming 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. There was, however, no organization with which to impress the Exposition's Committee on Exhibits with the seriousness of the notion, and to reassure it that the proposed display would be competently undertaken. The Book Club of California was promptly and enthusiastically instituted to satisfy this need.

For reasons unknown, the seminal exhibit never took place. Perhaps it became lost in the broad sweep of the Club's stated purposes: "The study of letters and the promotion of the arts pertaining to the production of books." Perhaps a multitude of ambitious early projects and activities simply precluded it. Within a year, the Club had sponsored a variety of events including lectures, entertainments, and two special exhibitions: One of rare bookplates and another displaying fine bookbindings. In 1914, the Club published its first book: Robert Ernest Cowan's monumental Bibliography of the History of California and the Pacific West. Clearly, The Book Club of California was an idea whose time had come and evidently no one wanted to wait until 1915 for the first fruits.

The initial flurry of activities and the steady progress since its founding attest to The Book Club's purposefulness. While its role in the cultural life of California extends considerably beyond the publishing activity, Book Club publications are the organization's most substantive, vital, and lasting achievement. To date, over 200 fine books bear The Book Club of California imprint. They are carefully conceived, thoughtfully designed, and attractively printed in limited editions, usually by the foremost fine press printers. The majority of these books represent the first and only appearance of their texts in printed form; which fact, even more than the Club's more frequently celebrated attention to the physical attributes of its publications, stands as its primary tangible contribution to the community of the book. In publishing such works, The Book Club has afforded Californians a perspective on their heritage enjoyed by the residents of no other state. The authors of these books - many of them Club members - include historians, scholars, professional writers and poets, as well as talented amateurs.

The Club's premises in downtown San Francisco provide a comfortable meeting place for members and their guests. Out-of-town book people regularly drop in to find out what's happening in the local book arts scene. Weekly open houses and receptions, openings, and other book-oriented gatherings are held at the Club in attractive and convenient surroundings. The Club rooms also provide the setting for a continuous program of exhibitions, open to the public, showcasing fine printing, book and ephemera collecting in all fields, and the history and arts of the book. The rooms house the Club's extensive reference library.

In 1933, The Book Club inaugurated its Quarterly News-Letter and annual printed keepsake series, both of which continue uninterrupted to this day. Each issue of the Quarterly News-Letter features a substantial article on a topic in sympathy with the Club's objectives, as well as notices of current book events, additions to the Club's library, book reviews, announcements of forthcoming Club publications, and other news of interest to Club members. It is, in keeping with all Book Club publications, handsomely designed and printed.

The annual keepsake series may be The Book Club of California's most innovative publishing concept. The form and content of the keepsakes were initially dictated by the Club's need to emphasize regularly to its members the value of their continued membership. A series of folders in groups of twelve on a common literary or historical theme was envisaged, to be sent to members on a monthly basis and collected in custom slipcases at the end of the year. The series continues exactly as it was initiated, except that the monthly mailings have been abandoned in favor of more efficient distribution. Various authors contribute brief essays on a facet of the annual overall subject. Sometimes, different printers produce each folder. The topics, inspired by the unique format of the series, are delightful, and wholly unsuited to any other form of publication.

Bibliophiles in California and beyond recognize the significant and enthusiastic audience for fine new books, and a climate in which the understanding and appreciation of handsomely designed and printed books can flourish. In 1996, the American Printing History Association presented The Book Club of California its institutional award for contributions to the understanding of printing history.

Fine bookmaking is a venturesome activity, and The Book Club of California, currently more vigorous than ever in its long history, is unique among bibliophilic publishers for its consistency and longevity.

Adapted from an article by Jennifer Larson that originally appeared in Bookways, January 1992.