Richard Press

1932 - 2020

Richard Press
November 13, 1932 - November 13, 2020
Sacramento, California - On Friday, November 13, 2020, Richard Leon Press, loving father and grandfather, passed away, on his 88th birthday.
Richard was born in Spokane, Washington to Fred and Bessie Press, but spent most of his childhood at Homewood Terrace in San Francisco. He received degrees from the City College of San Francisco, The University of California, Berkeley, and Dropsie University. In 1957, Richard married Esther Azran, and they raised two children, Talya and Daniel. Tragically, Richard's beloved daughter, Talya, passed away in 2014.
Richard was a university librarian for about 20 years, the highlight of which was his time at Northwestern University, where he helped build one of the largest collections on the Paris Commune and other 19th century social movements and revolutions. In 1979, he opened Richard L. Press, Fine and Scholarly Books ("Sometimes Rare, Frequently Scarce, Always Fine"), which soon became a 40-year fixture in the Sacramento art and book scene.
Known for his immense grasp of art, architecture, Judaica and politics, Richard was famously generous with his time, his art, his books, his memories, his advice and his compassion. Friends and clients loved coming to his store, which resembled a book-lined study that was also filled with mid century furniture, art and industrial design. When asked why he collected the books he did, his frequent reply was "these books are important…because they're important to me!"
Richard is survived by his ex-wife Esther, his brother Paul, sister-in-law Judy, son Daniel, daughter-in-law Sarah, grandson Julian and his wife Jessica, granddaughter Isobel, grandsons Amos and Elijah, and several nephews and nieces.
A small service was held for family and a celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Donations can be made to the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region.