The San Francisco Postcard Book

Postcards shown include work by Jan Heyneker, Atmos Fiere, Patrick Turner and Glen Scantlebury

On Wednesdays I usually head down to Civic Center to the farmers’ market.  On the way I stop at the Steps of the Library Sale.  The Friends of the SFPL sell off unwanted books that are one step away from the recycling bin.  Everything costs one dollar.  Some weeks I leave empty handed, some weeks I find a book I want to read and I often find tattered, old books that will be used in my own art projects.  This week’s find was a book of ready to use postcards from the 1980s called The San Francisco Postcard Book.

From 1987, shortly before I arrived myself, the now vintage book is a nice time capsule of 80’s graphics art with photography that captures a familiar but much-changed San Francisco in 24 removable postcards.  I found nothing online about the book or the art group behind it, A.R.E. (Artist Revolutionaries in the Eighties).  Of the 12 participating artists I found two have current websites (some other names matched, but I am not certain if they are the ones in the book).  Check out the work of Jo Babcock and Patrick Turner (I particular like his photo postcard of the old Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge).

It is tempting to remove the postcards and start mailing them out – but for now, I am just going to hang onto this piece of 1980s art and keep it in my own personal library.  I got it all for $1.

Embarcadero #2, John Zax

Blue, Glue and Gold, John Grau