The Book Club of California has been publishing significant books on California and the West during its nearly one hundred-year history and it has hosted numerous book-related exhibitions, lectures and demonstrations. Founded in 1912 by a group of San Francisco bibliophiles, the club from its very beginning distinguished itself not only for its handsome productions, but for its members as well, and unusual for the time, the club was founded by both men and women and included women members from the first. Among those founding members were Phoebe Apperson Hearst, legendary San Francisco philanthropist and mother of William Randolph Hearst, and Florence Lundborg, San Francisco artist and book designer.

Over the years, many people prominent in the arts and letters have been club members including Ansel Adams, Faith Baldwin, Merle Armitage, Oscar Lewis, Lawrence Clark Powell, Witter Bynner, Alfred A. Knopf, Franklin D. Murphy, Carl I. Wheat, Francis P. Farquhar, A. Edward Newton, Ward Ritchie, Norton Simon, John Henry Nash, Kevin Starr and numerous others. From an initial membership of fifty-eight, the club has grown to include one thousand members. Oscar Lewis described how the club began in a short piece written on the occasion of the club’s seventieth anniversary:

ON REACHING SEVENTY: HOW THE CLUB BEGAN IS A STORY WORTH RETELLING by Oscar Lewis

One morning in 1912, Dr. Edward Robeson Taylor, poet, physician and once mayor of San Francisco, joined W. R. K. Young, book collector and businessman; John Henry Nash, already widely known as a printer; and James D. Blake, then of Newbegin’s Book Shop and later to represent Harper Brothers, publishers, on the West Coast. Together they called on Charles C. Moore, president of the forthcoming Panama-Pacific International Exposition, to suggest that a collection of rare books and locally produced fine printing be displayed. Moore, himself an ardent bibliophile, approved the idea but advised that it would carry more weight with the exhibits committee if it came, not from a few individuals, but from an organized group. The petitioners thanked him and left, to return an hour or two later and repeat their request–this time on behalf of The Book Club of California, an organization they had dreamed up over the luncheon table.

The book exhibition they envisioned never came to pass, but the club they had so casually created fared very well indeed. By December of 1912, it was formally organized and could boast of fifty-eight charter members.

It is pleasant to wonder how those founding fathers might react, were they permitted to view their infant today, seven decades later. It has become a sturdy child, with a membership of one thousand and a lengthy waiting list, comfortable clubrooms, a variety of book-related activities, and one hundred seventy-two handsomely designed publications bearing its imprint.

Surely, they would be surprised at this outcome of their noontime meeting. And, one suspects, more than a little bit proud.

That is how Oscar Lewis (1893-1992), noted writer and historian, described the origins of The Book Club of California. Lewis himself was the club’s secretary from 1921 to 1946 and saw the rise and progress of the club over his long and productive life. To be sure, there were bibliophiles in San Francisco in 1912; there was fine bookmaking; and there was an idea to exhibit local and international fine bookmaking at the upcoming 1915 World’s Fair, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. There was, however, no organization to assure the Exposition’s Committee on Exhibits that the proposed display would be competently undertaken. The Book Club of California was promptly and enthusiastically formed to satisfy this need.

For reasons unknown, the proposed book exhibit never took place although the PPIE included a variety of art exhibitions that included paintings, prints and sculpture; indeed, co-founder Florence Lundborg won a bronze medal at the fair for one of her murals. Despite not having an exhibit at the fair, and perhaps spurred on by the Club’s stated purpose–“The study of letters and the promotion of the arts pertaining to the production of books”– within a year, the fledgling Club had sponsored a variety of events including lectures, entertainments, and two special exhibitions: one of rare bookplates and another displaying fine book bindings. In 1914, the Club published its first book: Robert Ernest Cowan’s monumental Bibliography of the History of California and the Pacific West, thereby beginning a tradition that has lasted nearly one hundred years.

The initial flurry of activities and its steady progress since 1912 attest to The Book Club’s purposefulness. While its role in the cultural life of California extends considerably beyond publishing, Book Club publications are the organization’s most substantive, vital, and lasting achievement. To date, 225 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 in the country. The majority of these books represent the first and only appearance of their texts in printed form and 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.

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 Clubrooms 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 also house the Club’s extensive reference library.

In 1933, The Book Club inaugurated its Quarterly News-Letter and annual printed keepsakes, 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. A club keepsake is typically composed of twelve separate illustrated folders on a common literary or historical theme that are contained in a unifying folder. Various authors contribute brief essays on a facet of the overall subject. The topics, inspired by the unique format of the series, are delightful, and wholly unsuited to any other form of publication. Previous keepsake topics include Sports in California; Chinese Book Arts in California; Homes of California Authors; and Southern and Northern California Travel Posters.

Bibliophiles in California and beyond appreciate the Book Club of California for creating a climate in which the understanding and appreciation of handsomely designed and printed books can flourish. In 1996, the American Printing History Association (APHA) presented The Book Club of California its institutional award for contributions to the understanding of printing history and in 2008, the club received the Printing Industries Association of Southern California (PIASC) award for its keepsakes on California travel posters.

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