The Book Club of California
The Book Club of California (BCC) supports the art of fine printing related to the history and literature of California.
The BCC, founded in 1912, is a non-profit organization of book lovers and collectors who have a special interest in Pacific Coast history, literature, and fine printing. Its chief aims are to further the interests of book collectors and scholars and to promote an understanding and appreciation of fine books.
Company Overview
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.
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.