Argonaut Book Shop

02/03/2026

A YouTuber wandered into the shop over the weekend and requested a short interview. Take a look and watch me give a brief history of the shop!

Right near my hotel I stumbled upon this most storied (no pun intended) SF Institution. I immediately regretted going inside because I felt compelled to buy ...

01/01/2026

Goodbye 2025! Time inevitably moves on and we find ourselves saying goodbye to the year 2025. As a final farewell to this year and a welcome to the new one, I am happy to offer 25% off any item still available from my last two e-lists.

My November list is a true miscellany; you will find everything from classic Western Americana sets, to a few illustrated books, California history, a few poetry books, and much more.

My December list consists of nearly 50 items all relating to the wonderful City by the Bay – San Francisco. There are items relating to the Panama Pacific International Exposition, the Midwinter Exposition, the Golden Gate Bridge, the 1906 earthquake and fire, the San Francisco Fire Department and more.

Click here to access the November list: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11rx5Jof4m8gQLGaRwdA8Jy9QwKFR-Pa_/view?usp=sharing
and here to access the December list: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gI5e6JCu6xL49joPx97Ov_TGlmRf2xqH/view?usp=sharing

SORRY THE LINKS AREN'T PRETTY!

Don't forget, as a farewell to 2025, I am offering 25% off the listed price of any item, subject to prior sale.

Please contact me you find anything of interest. Rest assured if you call, text, or email, I will get back to you as soon as I can. If you have any questions, or would like additional photos of any item, please feel free to ask.

These lists, as well as previous ones, are also available on my website. Just go to www.argonautbookshop.com and click on the "Browse Our Catalogs" tab.

01/26/2025

January 25- it's Burns Night!

In Scotland, and in other countries around the world, Burns Night is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 – July 21, 1796).

Burns Night is usually celebrated with a Burns Supper and typically include haggis, Scotch whisky, and the recitation of Burns' poetry.

I'm sure the recitation of his poetry would be much easier with this beautifully bound set of the Complete Works of Robert Burns. Published in 1909, this set is one of 26 hand-made copies, with beautiful gilt and silk endpapers. The set is "self-interpreting", as key words and phrases of Burns’ admittedly very difficult to read Scottish dialect are italicized, and interpretations in clear English are added alongside.

Happy Burns Night, and go enjoy some haggis!!

01/10/2025

Hey Californians! 

Mark your calendars!

I will be displaying at 2 antiquarian book fairs in February... Northern California or Southern California - there is an option for either! I'll be in San Francisco Feb. 1-2, and in Pasadena Feb. 7-9. 

I hope you will be able to make it to one or the other (or both)! Come fine me and say hi if you do!

San Francisco show:

https://rarebooksla.com/rare-books-san-francisco-2025/

Pasadena show:

https://www.abaa.org/cabookfair

01/01/2025

Wishing everyone prosperous and happy New Year!

#2025

11/05/2024

It's election day and I'm sure that casting their ballot is on everyone's mind. Let's take a break from today's politics and go back in time 184 years to the great Tippecanoe Campaign of 1840!

The election of 1840 is widely regarded as the first modern campaign for the U.S. presidency. Character defamation (some things never change!) as well as veneration of a military hero were key campaign strategies. Four years earlier, the Democratic Party, represented by Martin Van Buren, had upset the Whigs in that election. For the 1840 election, the Whigs designed a campaign that pitted a heroic William Henry Harrison against the patrician Van Buren, blaming him for the disastrous banking failures of 1837. Harrison was a folk hero with military triumphs during the War of 1812. Harrison’s nickname, “Tippecanoe,” refers to his victory over Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippecanoe. Party supporters were offered campaign paraphernalia featuring log cabins and barrels of hard cider, two symbols of Harrison’s “honest, hard-working, independent mind.”

This book is quite scarce, as it was privately published by the author 44 years after the campaign. It's actually two books bound together... The Great Revolution of 1840. Reminiscences of the Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign. "The Great Revolution of 1840" is a history of the campaign. It is bound with "Tippecanoe Songs of the Log Cabin Boys and Girls of 1840. Edited by A. B. Norton." It contains the lyrics for dozens of campaign songs. 

10/31/2024

Happy Halloween!

10/07/2024

I love my colleagues.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAuWUghvXCA/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

10/03/2024

"The city of San Francisco is justly famed for its peculiar climate". That's the first line from a Weather Bureau Bulletin published in 1899, all about the climate of San Francisco.
125 years later and the weather is still just as peculiar. Our warmest weather has historically been in September and October, but the record-breaking, 90+ degree temperatures of the last few days has been a bit ridiculous!

09/25/2024

Happening NOW through Friday, September 27.
Browse amazing books, maps, photos and ephemera at the ABAA 75th anniversary Virtual Book Fair. You don't even have to leave your comfy couch, chair, or bed!
Make sure to take a peek at my booth!
ABAA.org/vbf

09/10/2024

Check it out! 11 unique things to do in San Francisco. #10 on the list is the best option... 😉😁

If you’re new to San Francisco, choosing what to do first can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the most unique things to do in San Francisco.