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- OSCAR - SCU Library Catalog This link opens in a new windowYou may use Oscar to search for Grabhorn Press items by title, author, or keyword. Please note, due to the Grabhorn Press printing titles for publishers such as Random House and private clients, the name Grabhorn Press does not always appear in the catalog record. For a comprehensive list of SCU's Grabhorn Press holdings, please see the "SCU Library Holdings" tab. The Grabhorn Press bibliography is the authoritative resource on the Press' output.
Bibliography
Bell, Robert Eugene. History of the Grabhorn Press. University of California, Berkeley, Ann Arbor, 1974. Dissertation available through ProQuest.
Heller, Elinor Raas and David Magee. Bibliography of the Grabhorn Press. John Howell Books, San Francisco, 1940-77. 3 vols. Volumes 1, 2 & 3 available in SCU Special Collections.
Jackson, Joseph Henry. "The Grabhorns in Another Step Toward Greatness." The San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Oct. 1938, p. 41. Available through the SCU Library subscription to the SF Chronicle backfile.
Magee, David. The Hundredth Book: A Bibliography of the Publications of the Book Club of California & a History of the Club, Grabhorn Press, San Francisco, 1958. Available at the website of the BCC and available in SCU Special Collections.
Roth, William M. The Colt Springs High: A Publishing Memoir of the Colt Press 1938-1942, Book Club of California, San Francisco, 2004. Available in SCU Special Collections.
Teiser, Ruth, and Catherine Harroun, editors. Printing as a Performing Art. Book Club of California, San Francisco, 1970. Available in SCU Special Collections.
Wentz, Roby. The Grabhorn Press: A Biography. Book Club of California, San Francisco, 1981. Available in SCU Special Collections.
Other Resources
UC Berkeley Bancroft Library Finding Aid on Grabhorn Archive
UC Berkeley Bancroft Library Finding Aid on Oscar Lewis Papers
Stanford University Library Finding Aid for the Colt Press Records
Collection Highlights
California; or, The Feast of Gold. A New Comic Song, Written by Henry Valentine, and Sung by Messrs. Carrol, Warde, Martin, Mills, and all the Principal Comic Singers, with Thunders of Applause.
Sheet music title page. From Three Pioneer California Gold Rush Songs printed by Grabhorn Press in 1948.
Illustration by Valenti Angelo for the Book of Job, printed by Grabhorn Press in 1926
Angelo, Valenti, Anne Englund, and Andrew Hoyem. Valenti Angelo: Author, Illustrator, Printer. San Francisco: Book Club of California, 1976, page 10.
California As It Is; Comic Song Written by Thaddeus W. Meighan and Sung to Over Fifty Thousand Persons at the American Museum and elsewhere by Pete Morris. The Inimitable Comic Vocalist
Sheet music title page. From Three Pioneer California Gold Rush Songs, printed by Grabhorn Press in 1948.
The Good Times Come at Last, or The Race to California. A Comic Song Written to a Golden Measure and Dedicated to the Master of the Mint by One of the Golden Fleece
Sheet music title page. From Three Pioneer California Gold Rush Songs printed by Grabhorn Press in 1948.
History
The Grabhorn Press was a major player in fine letterpress printing and binding in the San Francisco Bay Area and California in the 20th Century. In a time of publishing being overtaken by machine-printed and bound books, the work of the Grabhorn Press stood out for its fine craftsmanship and treatment of subjects having to do with Californiana. Distinguished by their use of hand-set type, elegant layout, tasteful color, often handmade paper, and fine binding, Grabhorn Press soon took advantage of the rich literary culture already afoot in San Francisco and perfected the printing work began by John Henry Nash and Taylor & Taylor in San Francisco. Later, the hallmarks of their work established the Press as a go-to for bibliophiles in the area, including private patrons, the Book Club of California (the Press’s biggest client), and Bennett Cerf from Random House.
Edwin Grabhorn began printing work with his Studio Press in Indiana, and later moved to San Francisco and employed his brother Robert Grabhorn to start Grabhorn Press. Grabhorn Press included the wives and children of Edwin and Robert: Edwin’s wife Marjorie contributed in many ways, including sewing bindings, writing introductions, and running the business; Edwin’s daughter Mary contributed illustrations to some editions, most notably the Shakespeare works; Robert’s wife Jane printed herself, and also ran the affiliate imprints Jumbo Press (1937) and Colt Press (1938-1943).
In 1965 Edwin retired and Robert went into business with Andrew Hoyem, who had worked in a nearby printing shop and had later worked for the Grabhorns. They started the Grabhorn-Hoyem Press (1966-1977). In 1974 Andrew Hoyem established Arion Press to continue the work of Grabhorn Press and Grabhorn-Hoyem, including the collection of type, which was an extremely unique and historically significant collection from a working press. In 2000 Andrew Hoyem and his Arion Press established the Grabhorn Institute to continue the unbroken tradition of using the typefoundry amassed by the Grabhorns.
Timeline
- 1916-1919: Studio Press in Indianapolis, Indiana established by Edwin Grabhorn
- 1919/1920-1965: Grabhorn Press established in San Francisco, California by Edwin and Robert Grabhorn
- 1929-1932: Westgate Press (established by Robert Grabhorn and Oscar Lewis)
- 1937: Jumbo Press (established by Jane Grabhorn)
- 1938-1943: Colt Press (established by Jane Grabhorn)
- 1921: Grabhorn Press prints first work for Book Club of California, A Gracious Visitation
- 1963: Edwin and Robert Grabhorn receive honorary doctorate of fine arts from UC Berkeley
- 1963: Marjorie Grabhorn dies
- 1965: Edwin Grabhorn retires
- 1966-1977: Grabhorn-Hoyem Press established by Robert Grabhorn and Andrew Hoyem in San Francisco, California
- 1968: Edwin Grabhorn dies
- 1973: Robert and Jane Grabhorn die
- 1974: Andrew Hoyem establishes Arion Press in San Francisco, California
- 2000: Grabhorn Institute established at Arion Press
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