The Publisher and Founder

First Bite Press is owned and operated by Stephanie Kimbro Dolin. Stephanie began working with books as a volunteer in the Preservation Department of a Museum. After learning how to repair and rebind antiquarian books and make paper repairs, she began making her own books and set up a bookbinding studio in her home. Tired of creating bindings for blank books, she learned how to print.

After a successful career in the legal technology field, she turned her attention to learning the skills necessary to publish, design, and produce limited edition books. She has a long history of designing publications for different organizations throughout her life. An avid reader and book collector, Stephanie was accepted into the Grolier Club in 2022. She serves on the Grabhorn Institute’s Board of Directors which supports Arion Press and the M&H Typefoundry and on the Board of the Book Club of California. She is also on the leadership team of the Colophon Club and a member of the American Guild of Bookworkers. A longer list of book-related and “past life” experience can be found here.

With her work at First Bite Press, she wants to create beautiful books where all of the components of a book from the content to the sewing of the bindings, coalesces into a pleasurable, thoughtful experience for the reader. She enjoys collaborating with authors, illustrators, papermakers, and book binders.

Philosophy & Curation

First Bite Press occupies a unique intersection in the book arts: it is a private press publishing within the standards and traditions of fine press bookmaking.

The Collector’s Experience

Every First Bite Press edition is a tactile invitation. We select materials that transform reading into a sensory dialogue:

• The Print: Using our collection of historic presses—including our Victorian Parallel Platen Press, Vandercook Universal III, and Albion Handpress—we achieve the signature fine quality printing found in a fine press book.

• The Paper: We source artisanal handmade and mould-made papers (including selections from Cave Paper, The Paper Foundation, & St. Cuthbert’s Mill), chosen specifically for their weight, texture, and ability to complement the individual book’s design.

• The Binding: From hand-stitched chapbooks to slipcased deluxe editions, our volumes are finished with heirloom-grade bookbinding materials, often executed in collaboration with master binders, such as Anne Covell and Amy Borezo.