Arion Press | Artist Books

Join us on May 26 for a special evening with bestselling author @amytanwriter as she shares the five books that have most changed her life as a writer, a reader, and a person. Presented as the first installment of the 2026 Kirkpatrick Speaker Series at Arion Press, this conversation will weave personal stories and literary insights through Amy’s reading life. The evening will be hosted by artist and writer George McCalman. 🎟️ Tickets available at the link in bio.

Arion Press is delighted to announce that in 2026 we will publish three titles as exquisite fine press publications, crafted in our unique Fort Mason facility. Purchasing an annual Fine Press Subscription guarantees you will receive one of the 230 copies of the Fine Press Edition for all three books in the 2026 publication series. Learn more at the link in bio.

On the occasion of the 250 anniversary of the publication of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America, Arion Press is pleased to announce a collaborative partnership with Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello (@tjmonticello ) to produce a landmark commemorative edition and a suite of related programming. “Declare: A Civic Gospel” gathers a polyphony of American contemporary artists, writers, and thinkers to reflect on the Declaration’s legacy, honor its past, and interrogate its future. Presented in a bespoke handmade box, the edition contains three core elements: an innovative rendition of the Declaration’s Preamble reimagined by celebrated type designer @tre.seals , with an accompanying stand inviting readers to display the broadside while they read; a collection of ten wood medallions engraved with artwork by leading American artists each visualizing a Declaration concept; and an interior volume collecting newly commissioned essays and poems by visionary American writers, edited by Monticello’s President and CEO, acclaimed historian Jane Kamensky. “Declare: A Civic Gospel” is not included in the Arion Press 2026 Subscription Program, but Subscribers will receive discounted pricing. Learn more at the link in bio.

Join the expanding circle of readers, collectors, museums, and libraries that constitute our community of Arion Press subscribers. Arion Press’ 2026 titles include: 🔵 @barry_moser portraits from “Moby-Dick” offering his reflection on creating wood engravings for the 1979 Arion edition of Herman Melville’s masterpiece, presented with more than 20 previously unpublished portraits 🟢”Black Fire on White Fire,” with original text and artwork by multimedia artist and visionary @laurieandersonofficial 🟣 “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll with original paintings from hand-ground pigments by artist @rupyctut Learn more at the link in bio.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Mother’s Day pop-up, we had so much fun helping you create your special card to celebrate the motherly figures in your life.

Print special 💐Mothers Day cards 💌 today at the press from 10am-2pm.

Join us this Saturday, May 9, for a special Mother’s Day pop-up printing experience! Create your own greeting cards using both a vintage Pilot platen press and a LEGO Letterpress. Experiment with color, pattern, and composition for a truly unique gift for the motherly figure in your life. This activity is designed to be accessible to all ages (3+ with adult supervision) and encourages shared participation between caregivers and children. 🗓️May 9 🕑10am – 2pm

“My fairy tales … are an attempt to mirror modern life in a form remote from reality—to deal with modern problems in a mode that is ideal and not imitative[…] They are, of course, slight and fanciful, and written, not for children, but for childlike people from eighteen to eighty!” - Oscar Wilde  For our fine press edition of “The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde,” artist @sandowbirk ’s drawings deftly extract messages from the stories and show them in the light of modern-day. They capture both the contradiction and the complexity of the stories, illuminating their timeless themes through imagery that bears a startling and immediate familiarity to today’s reader. 📚Learn more at the link in bio.

A very BIG congratulations to @maria_magdalena_campos_pons who has been commissioned to make new work for the Obama Presidential Center (@obamafoundation ), set to open on June 19th, 2026. Campos-Pons contributed artwork for both the Press’ bilingual presentation of “100 Love Sonnets” by Pablo Neruda (2022), and its 50th anniversary Laureate edition, “Fables of Aesop” (2024).

Join us this Saturday this for a tour inside our Fort Mason facility, where we house the last unified hot metal type foundry, letterpress workshop, and book bindery all under one roof in daily operation in the US. Visitors will receive an in-depth overview of the process of making books by hand in our historic workshop and a sneak peek of our current publishing in process. Public Tours: 🗓️ Saturday, April 18 ⏱️1pm and 3pm 🎟️ Tickets available at the link in bio

“Declare: A Civic Gospel” invites a chorus of American authors, artists, and artisans to reflect on our country’s inaugural words in a handcrafted, printed testament to the American experiment. 📚Learn more about our upcoming publication at the link in bio.

Embossed print “Here Was Peace” by artist @kenturah Davis features a color photographic portrait of Janie Crawford’s character, set beside a striking blind-embossed passage from the closing lines of Zora Neale Hurston’s masterpiece, “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” 📚Learn more at the link in bio.