Arion Press

Arion Press
Arion Press is a renowned fine press and publisher based in San Francisco, California, specializing in limited-edition, handcrafted artist books that combine classic literature with original contemporary artwork.

Founded in 1974 by Andrew Hoyem as the successor to the legendary Grabhorn Press, Arion Press is unique as the only facility in the United States that produces books entirely by hand “from comma to cover” under one roof. This includes their own hot-metal type foundry (the last unified one in America), letterpress printing workshop with historic equipment (some dating to the 1910s and even machines used to cast the U.N. Charter in 1945), and complete book bindery.

They collaborate with leading artists to reimagine literary classics, creating museum-quality volumes through traditional craftsmanship while keeping the printed book relevant in the digital age. In 2024, they relocated to a 10,000-square-foot facility at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture.

Their publications are highly sought after by collectors, often featuring intricate illustrations, fine typography, and deluxe bindings. Notable examples include their famous 1979 edition of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick (illustrated by Barry Moser), which has become a benchmark in fine press publishing.

Other titles have included works like George Orwell’s Animal Farm (with illustrations by Jonathan Hammer) and various deluxe editions of classics such as Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, and more recent ones like Isaac Asimov’s Nightfall.

The press maintains a gallery and store open to the public (typically Tuesdays through Saturdays, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.), where visitors can view books, prints, and sometimes observe the production process. They offer subscriptions for new releases and sell directly through their online store.

The best places to find Arion Press books online are:
eBay Books
Arion Press

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Moby Dick by Herman Melville Arion Press Barry Moser Hardcover 1981

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MOBY-DICK by Herman Melville - 1st printing Arion Press HCDJ 1981

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Warner Bott Berry Scotsman's Dream Signed Limited Edition Association Copy

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Moby Dick Herman Melville HC Arion Press First Trade Edition 13th Printing

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Arion Press Trout Fishing in America By R. Brautigan Limited to 400 Copies

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John Milton "Paradise Lost" Arion Press limited edition

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Andrew HOYEM / Publisher's Prospectus Bibliography of The Arion Press 1st 2015

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Arion Press: The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde

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Arion Press - Captivity Hannah Duston - 1987 Richard Bosman Signed Fine Press

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The Colt Springs High: Colt Press 1939-1942 William Roth 2004 Arion Press 1st Ed

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American Buffalo David Mamet 1992 Arion Press Signed Ltd Ed McCurdy

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ARION PRESS Fine Books 1995 catalogue Price List brochure

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THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES Michael Kenna Photos HC DJ 1st Trade Ed Arion

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*RARE*_Shaped Poetry_Arion Press_29 of 30 Prints + Book_Good

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NIKOLAI REZANOV & CONCEPCION ARGUELLO + EXTRAS Alberto Shumate 1993 ARION PRESS

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Arion Press, Le Desert De Retz,

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What the End is For - Arion Press - 2014 Limited Signed - Jorie Graham - Prints

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Moby Dick or, the Whale 1st Ed. Paperback Arion Press B1R1

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Grabhorn Press 1920-1965 & Beyond: Grolier Club Exhibition 2015 HC Arion Press

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Arion Press BIRDS OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE Limited Edition 1986, NO PLATES

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South of Heaven Jim Thompson Arion Press - 2010 #6/400

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Story of a Story & Three Stories Jessamyn West Arion Press, Friends of Bancroft

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Thirty-three Sonnets of Guido Cavalcanti. Arion Press. PROSPECTUS ONLY - 1991

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Leaves of Grass by WALT WHITMAN ~ ARION PRESS ~ Limited Edition ~ 2014

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William Bentley & John Baldessari-SCENES FROM THE CUTTING-ROOM FLOOR-ARION PRESS

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Oak Knoll Books Catalogue #176 Arion Press Stanley Morrison Books New Castle DE

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A Day in the Bleachers - Arion Press - 2006 Limited Signed Numbered - Baseball

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Some Call it Sleep Signed by Henry Roth Arion Press 1995 with Slipcase

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Arion Press A Coney Island of the Mind, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Limited & Signed

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A Woman Growing Younger S.K. Gomez 2015 Arion Press HC Slipcase Signed

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3 Arion Press Books Christmas Carol Prospectus, Catalogue 1995-1975 & 1992

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Walt Whitman-LEAVES OF GRASS-2014-ARION PRESS LIMITED EDITION-1/275 COPIES-FN/NF

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SCOTT MOMADAY The Colors of Night (Arion Press Broadsides, Limited, 1976)- KIOWA

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Our Man in Havana, Graham Greene. Limited Edition ~ Arion Press

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Arion Press - Cane by Jean Toomer - MARTIN PURYEAR Artist- signed ltd edition

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Arion Press Elias Canetti 2001 The Voices of Marrakesh #66/350 printed

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Tartuffe Moliere Arion Press - 2004 #198/300

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The Performing Word Selected Poems ​by Frederick W. Reid Arion Press VG+ 2003

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Kaddish Allen Ginsberg 1992 Arion Press Signed Ltd Ed Kitaj Prospectus

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1989 The Big Sleep Raymond Chandler Lou Stoumen Photos North Point HC DJ

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Poetry of Sappho ~ The Arion Press ~ Limited Edition 2011 1st Thus Signed

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Arion Press BIRDS OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE Limited Edition 1st Edition 1986 #87313

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Animal Farm by GEORGE ORWELL ~ Limited Edition ~ The Arion Press ~ FINE PRESS

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Napa Wine A Chapter from Silverado Squatters Robert Louis Stevenson Arion Press

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Arion Press Catalogue Retrospective Checklist of Publications 1995-1975 / 1st ed

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Go Your Stations, Girl, Carl Martin. Signed Limited First Edition ~ Arion Press

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Arion Press Seamus Heaney / "Squarings" Forty-Eight Poems Ltd Signed Edition

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Rudolf Koch Typefoundry in Silhouette Arion Press, Type Foundry

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Arion Press - Williwaw - signed Gore Vidal - LETTERED K of only 26 - Limited Ed

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Mrs. Bridge, Arion Press, Signed & Limited Edition, Evan Connell, Laurie Simmons

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