The archival collection of Joanne Sonnichsen’s set of articles and ephemera on bookbinding and book history go hand in hand with the rest of the collection’s journals and printed books.

Born in 1933, Joanne Sonnichsen died in 2003 of congestive heart failure. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Art and Design in 1958 and eventually began studying the French styles of bookbinding in the 1970s, founding her own studio in Menlo Park. One the creations of which she was most proud is the AIDS Name Project “Book of Remembrance,” which is on permanent display at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Sonnichsen served as President of the Book Club of California, the Hand Bookbinders of California, and the Colophon Club of San Francisco, as well as serving as an active member of the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco, the Bancroft Library Associates, the Stanford Library Associates, and the Guild of Book Workers. In the 1990s, she helped found AIR neuf, an international bookbinding organization in France, and in February of 2003, the Book Club of California honored her with the Oscar Lewis Award for “outstanding contributions in the field of Book Arts.”

2 regular and 1 oversize MSB, 1 binder, 1 bound folder, 1 irregular box: Approx. 2 LF.

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the ABM Librarian, American Bookbinders Museum, San Francisco, California 94103. Consent is given on behalf of the American Bookbinders Museum as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.                       Preferred Citation: [Folder name], Joanne Sonnichsen Collection. American Bookbinders Museum Library and Archives.

The materials are open for research use. All use of ABM materials must be requested 24 hours in advance and used onsite during a scheduled appointment. For more information on use or to schedule an appointment, contact the ABM librarian at collections@bookbindersmuseum.org. Repository: Library & Archives The American Bookbinders Museum 355 Clementina Street San Francisco, CA 94103 Email: collections@bookbindersmuseum.org Phone: (415) 824-9754 URL: http://library.bookbindersmuseum.org/