William Stout Architectural Books is a renowned independent bookstore in San Francisco’s Jackson Square neighborhood, founded by Bill Stout in 1974. We specialize in books on architecture, design, urban planning, landscape architecture, and related fields.

Read more on our About page to learn about what we offer and our history, including our acquisition by the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity upon Bill’s retirement in 2022.

Bill Stout is the bookseller, publisher, and architectural archivist that founded William Stout Architectural Books in 1974. He is also the founder of William Stout Publishers, an imprint that is known internationally for bringing out-of-print books back into the world and shining light on less widely-known architects and designers.

Bill retired in 2022 and the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity acquired William Stout Architectural Books—the shop and the collection. Read his interview with Dung Ngo on our blog for more about Bill and his relationship with the Eames Institute.

The Eames Institute is a nonprofit organization stewarding the legacy of Ray and Charles Eames, designers whose ideas still shape architecture, furniture, and culture. Through exhibitions, research, and programming, the Institute invites the public to explore how design can solve today’s problems and spark tomorrow’s possibilities.

William Stout Architectural Books and the Eames Institute share a mission: to advance design literacy. Stout curates printed works; the Institute curates artifacts, archives, and experiences. Our partnership lets you discover great books while accessing deeper stories, objects, and insights from the Eames collection.

Yes. Guided tours of the Richmond, CA campus run weekly. They include access to the Atrium Shop, must be booked in advance, and frequently sell out.

Visit the Eames Institute’s website to see the current schedule, view pricing and accessibility information, and book tickets.

The Eames Institute welcomes your consideration and support of all kinds. In particular you can:

• Donate: Tax-deductible contributions fund conservation and STEM outreach
• Shop: Every purchase from the Institute’s online store and in-person Atrium Shop fuels programming
• Share: Spread the word—design makes more meaningful change when more voices join

It was time for a refresh. Our new web shop features the results of a large, long-term project to document our full inventory, new branding from our Jackson Square friends at LoveFrom, and a new website design and build by the talented folks at CHIPS.

The website will continue to change over time as we share our activities on our blog, as we improve discoverability and navigability, and as we add even more books from our collection.

Follow us on Instagram or subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with events, new titles, collaborations, and more.

We accept returns for exchange or store credit only within 60 days of purchase, provided the following conditions are met:

• You present a receipt or proof of purchase
• the book is in original, sellable condition.

We do not offer refunds (cash or credit) for returns—except in the case of damage or defect to new goods.

If you received a damaged or defective item, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help resolve the issue.

We are located at 804 Montgomery Street between Jackson St. and Pacific in San Francisco. We are in the heart of Jackson Square, which is bordered by Chinatown, North Beach, and the Financial District.

Monday – Thursday: 12:30pm – 5:30pm
Friday: 12:30pm – 7:30pm
Saturday: 11:30am – 7:30pm

Please note that all of our online sales are processed during store hours.

Domestic Shipping is available via USPS and DHL.

USPS Ground Advantage starts at $9.50, with final cost based on weight.

For larger orders, shipping is approximately 7% of your order total.

Priority Mail and Express options are available at higher rates. For example, overnight shipping of a 1 lb package to the East Coast may cost around $42.

USPS Media Mail is available for eligible items, starting at $5.00.

You will receive your final shipping total in your confirmation email after your order has been processed.

We send international packages via FedEx International Economy which takes 3 to 5 days and is trackable. Shipping costs are based on weight and destination. A four pound package costs about $30 to Western Europe. Please email us if you would like more complete pricing information. We reserve the right to ship with alternative services (e.g. USPS Priority Mail for one set of IDEO cards or if shipping to P.O. Boxes). Final shipping costs will be reflected in a confirmation email once your order is processed.

UPS Ground takes roughly 5 business days for most of the US, though generally takes only a day or two in Northern California. FedEx International Economy takes three to five days. USPS Priority Mail International usually takes one to two weeks, but can take much longer depending on the reliability of the postal service in the destination country or if a package gets held up at customs. 

Please note that processing may take up to 5 business days before shipment.

Not necessarily. Our website lists books that we have carried, currently carry, or will carry. While we do our best to update the site to reflect if books are out of stock, it is not a perfect representation of our inventory. If you order a book that is out of stock, we will email you to ask if you would like to be notified when we get it back in stock.

If we do not have a book in stock, you will not be charged for it. We only charge customers if we have the books they order in stock. Since we never charge cards for books that are not physically in the store, there is no need to reimburse customers for out-of-stock items.

Prices listed on our site are generally accurate, but are subject to occasional change. On occasion, however, the price may change due to various factors, including a change of price by the publisher, fluctuating exchange rates or, if the book is out of print, our receiving a copy in a different condition. Please contact us if you have any questions about pricing.

Yes! We now accept American Express, MasterCard and Visa.

We offer gift certificates in set amounts amounts on our website. If you would like a gift certificate in another amount, please contact the store.

Yes, please make a new account. In order to ensure an accurate offering for you, we completely re-catalogued our inventory, so there is no connection to the former website. We are so grateful that you have patronized Stout Books this long and hope you enjoy the new benefits of customer accounts.

For book orders, inventory, distribution, and other support requests, please email us at info@stoutbooks.com.

For tours of the Eames Institute, donations, and collaborations, please email us at hello@eamesinstitute.org.