Independent bookstores are alive and doing well in San Francisco. Find your own new favorite San Francisco bookstore with this guide from a local book nerd and former bookseller.
Your Guide to the Best Bookstores in San Francisco
Rumors of the death of the indy bookstores are greatly exaggerated and Amazon doesn’t certainly have the last word on what you should read, especially in San Francisco.
Mark Twain honed his writing chops here, as did Ginsberg, Kerouac, Dashiell Hammett and Hunter S. Thompson. There is also no shortage of modern Bay Area authors producing innovative and diverse work, such as Michael Chabon, Dave Eggers, Isabelle Allende and Daniel Handler.
SF overflows with creative literary juice and there are a lot of bookstores here ready to serve it up with expertise.
City Lights Bookstore
261 Columbus Ave | North Beach
City Lights is unarguably the most famous bookstore in San Francisco. It was founded in 1953 as a store and performance venue. They gave voice to the Beat Poet movement and it’s a touchstone for San Francisco’s ongoing counter culture. The store still gives space to ideas that are outside of the mainstream with a poetry room and an eclectic (and sometimes anarchist) collection of staff pics. Wander around, buy a book and then go upstairs to the light filled poetry room and settle into a cushy chair for a good read.
Alternatively, you can take it next door to the Vesuvio bar, which was the chief watering hole for Neal Cassady, Dean Moriarty, Kerouac and other beats. Check out this article that includes other hippie towns in California.
Chronicle Books
680 2nd St. OR 165 4th St | SOMA
Chronicle books is primarily a niche publisher of beautifully designed cookbooks, picture books, book-ish gifts and arcane but surprisingly interesting coffee table books. They aren’t afraid to make fun of resident evil; be that the President, Darth Vader or domestic cats.
You can find their books in every other SF bookstore, but they also have a retail presence of their own. The clean, modern stores carry just Chronicle Books. Everything is faced out (or face up on a table), so the store welcomes a casual browsing experience.
Book Passage
Ferry Building | Downtown
The Book Passage in Corte Madera has been keeping literary love alive for over 40 years. If you are in the North Bay, you should stop in. But they also have a small outpost in the Ferry Building. It’s like a smaller version of your favorite neighborhood store. They stocked it with a large table which includes cool new releases but also a well-curated selection of older books that are still worth considering.
They aren’t afraid of the political at Book Passage and the store recommends a lot of books that represent current affairs and the progressive sensibility that so defines SF.
Friends of the San Francisco Public Library Bookstore
Fort Mason | The Marina
Library bookstores are too often a messy pile of weird offerings that no one wants. No so at the Fort Mason branch of the San Francisco Public Library store — it’s the best library store I’ve ever been in and arguably the best used bookstore in San Franciscco.
Sure, they do have some arcane books there, but they also have an excellent fiction and YA section stocked with current and popular titles. They also have an attached cafe with coffee, sweets and panini with a side of free wifi.
Dog Eared Books
900 Valencia St. | Mission District
Dog Eared Booksis a Mission District institution. They are a somewhat smaller store carrying mostly new books but also some used. They don’t have piles of inventory, but they do have a well-curated staff-pics table. They are always willing to call out esoteric pics and they feature local authors like those mentioned above. Get your nearby caffeine fix at Blue Fig coffee on 21st.
Borderlands
1740 Haight St. | The Haight
The best San Francisco bookstores also try hard to give you a dose of the otherworldly.Borderlands specializes in sci-fi, fantasy, mystery and horror. It’s a nerd’s delight with such a large number of specialized titles. You don’t even have to leave the premises to get your coffee as they have a cafe attached to the store. They encourage browsing and lounging, which makes it a very comfortable and welcoming place to hang out.
Alley Cat Books
3036 24th St. | The Mission
Alley Cat books will be be easy to visit if you are also taking my street art tour of the Mission as it’s located on 24th street right in the heart of the neighborhood. The Alley Catis a general purpose store and carries a mix of new, used and remaindered books. They also have a cool art gallery in the back. If you are like me, you’ll buya stack of books and want to start reading right away. So head on over to the Philz coffee across the street where you can get a strong cup of individually brewed coffee from one of the 20 interesting choices.
Adobe Books
3130 24th St | The Mission
Adobe is right down the street from Alley Cat, so you can hit up both at once. The store was was founded in 1989 and they threw open their doors to authors, artists, musicians and anyone else looking for a comfy couch and good books. They have an unusual business structure and they run on volunteer power as a Co-op. Adobe is a down home store with a wide selection of quirky used books and a cute children’s section. In 2001, they devoted their backroom to art space and they host a series of rotating exhibits from local artists.
Booksmith
1644 Haight St. | Haight Ashbury
Booksmith has been holding down the fort in the Haight for thirteen years. They’re a great neighborhood store with excellent staff pics tables. They have a strong local ethic and carry a lot of titles from local authors. The store oozes creativity with staff who moonlight as authors, poets, journalists, illustrators and podcasters,
Booksmith isn’t just a bookstore, it’s a lifestyle. In addition to recommending your next great read, they also host a series of events at The Bindry, which is down the street from the store. They also have a deal going with nearby Alembic bar and they run Kepler’s Bookstore in Menlo Park (which is my favorite Peninsula bookstore).
Green Apple Books
506 Clement St. | Richmond District
Ask any of the other booksellers on this list about their favorite SF bookstore and most will mention Green Apple. The store was founded in 1967 and has managed to hang on through all of the ups and downs of the independent book business.
They are the undisputed largest bookstore in San Francisco with 8,000 square feet of space in their flagship location. The store overflows the full depth of the main building, fulling multi-story nooks and crannies before busting out into the street and sliding two doors down, filling yet another building.
They have a healthy mix of new and used books in all subject matters. If they don’t have it, do you really need it?
Blackbird Bookstore
4541 Irving St. | Outer Sunset
Blackbird provides quality reads in the deep western edge of SF. It has the friendly feel of a neighborhood store, but they aren’t trying to do everything.
They offer a very carefully curated selection of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. All of the books are faced-out, making for a comfortable browsing experience. Their selections are the kind of thoughtful books that your office water cooler buds or book club will want to talk about.
Omnivore Books on Food
3885 Cesar Chavez | Noe Valley
Pack a snack when you visit Omnivore because this store is all about the cookbooks and it will surely make you hungry. Omnivore does all the things required of a great indy bookstore: author events, staff pics, signed editions and a book-of-the-month club. And, they are successful at it, so don’t let anyone tell you that niche indy bookstores are dead. Omnivore is passionate about food and it shows. They easily handled my gift requests for a Jacques Pepin fanboy and a busy working woman who is nervous about cooking.
The owner and I bonded over the fact that whenever we visit a bookstore or library, we can control ourselves and always make up our own displays. I call it “literary misdemeanors” and have performed them in Salt Lake City, Chicago, London and Dublin bookstores.
If you are nuts for cookbooks, then you should also check out our guide for 13 tasty California cookbooks.
Folio Books
3957 24th St. | Noe Valley
If you need something more adult, head into Folio Books. They are just up the street from Charlie’s. They’ve been in Noe Valley for four years and are a great all-around neighborhood bookstore.
They have an interesting event roster with author signings, in-progress book readings and a book club.
Christopher’s Books
1400 18th St. | Potrero Hill
Christopher’s is another dedicated neighborhood bookstore. They’ve been around for 28 years and have managed to keep it going with a loyal Potrero Hill clientele and a generous landlord.
They have wide range of titles and a lot of what’s hot. Their staff is knowledgeable and opinionated. They’ll tell you if a book is worth buying or just “meh”, and they are thoughtful about their recommendations.
Once you load up on books, head across the street to Foley’s coffee and dig into your stash.
Bird & Beckett Books & Records
653 Chenery St. | Glen Park
At first glance, Bird & Beckett looks like a cozy local bookshop, but it’s really much more than that. They carry a dizzying collection of new and used books with a heavy emphasis on non-fiction and poetry. It’s the sort of store where you have to stroll the stacks slowly and wait for something to fall into your hands.
The store also marries books and music with local jazz nights. Every Friday and Saturday, they feature local jazz musicians. Well known traveling acts book in on weekdays. And, they also host poetry readings twice a month. Check out their event calendar to see the full list.
Browser Books
2195 Fillmore St. | Pacific Heights
Browser books is currently experiencing a transition, and hopefully a renaissance. They were a tight little, overstuffed store on Fillmore. However, a recent purchase by Green Apple is bringing about changes and the staff and local neighbors are hopeful that the store will surge back.
They have a good mix of fiction and non-fiction with some fun staff pics at the check-out desk. They will be devoting more shelf space to face-outs, which is a trend in the indy bookstore world. Good cover art sells books, making the browsing experience less an archaeology dig and more like a treasure hunt. Stop in and give them a boost.
San Francisco Bookstore Map
Find your new favorite SF bookstore using this handy map:
READ MORE BOOKS: Get inspired by San Francisco with this curated list of novels set there. And then plan visit with these offbeat San Francisco guidebooks.
Other Literary Delights in SF
These SF bookstores are great, to be sure, but you should also check out some of these other literary delights.
- The San Francisco Center for the Book offers inspiration in the book arts world featuring the art & craft of letterpress printing, bookbinding, and artists bookmaking.
- The Mechanics Institute is one of the oldest libraries in SF. They have a library collection and a beautiful curved staircase (which you can see on tour).
- The San Francisco Library Main Branch (at Civic Center) has regular exhibitions and literary events.
- The Bookbinders Museum celebrates the history, tools and process of bookbinding with tours Tuesday-Saturday.
- Visit the Beat Museum in North Beach.
- You can chase down Jack London’s old haunts in SF and Oakland.
- If you are in the city in October, attend some of the Litquake events.
Explore More of San Francisco
- Get the local’s guide tocool things to do in SF.
- Explore the Golden Gate Bridge views from every angle.
- Follow this tour of Angel Island State Park.
- Get tips for planning your SF trip.
Plan Your Trip to SF
Save time planning your trip to SF with these insanely useful links:
- Find the best areas to stay in SF.
- Figure out how to get from SFO airport to downtown SF or from Oakland airport to downtown.
- Or, if you are driving, score a deal on a car rental.
- Go beyond the obvious tourist sites by purchasing one of our recommended San Francisco guidebooks. They cover urban hikes, foodie spots, self-guided walking tours and even an urban atlas.
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FAQs
The 14 Best Bookstores in San Francisco: Your Local Booknerd's Guide? ›
El Ateneo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
El Ateneo was named the World's Most Beautiful Bookstore by National Geographic. The building in Buenos Aires was first a theater called Teatro Gran Splendid, which opened in 1919.
El Ateneo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
El Ateneo was named the World's Most Beautiful Bookstore by National Geographic. The building in Buenos Aires was first a theater called Teatro Gran Splendid, which opened in 1919.
Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Our platform gives independent bookstores tools to compete online and financial support to help them maintain their presence in local communities. Since 2020, we've raised more than $25 million for independent bookstores.
What is the largest independently owned bookstore in the world? ›Powell's Books. The World's Largest Independent Bookstore.
What is the oldest family owned bookstore in the United States? ›Oldest in the Country
Founded in 1745, the Moravian Book Shop is located in the heart of historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and is the oldest continuously operating bookstore in the country.
This Kelmscott Press masterwork was described by the poet William Butler Yeats as the “most beautiful of all printed books.” The Vancouver Sun, the CBC, and others have shared our excitement about the Kelmscott Chaucer this week.
What is the bookshop capital of the world? ›Madrid is the first city to be awarded the title of the “World Book Capital”. The Spanish capital took the initiative of creating this title and its first events.
What do bookstores do with unsold books? ›When sales slow down too much, the publisher will usually liquidate any unsold copies by massively reducing the price. If the books still don't sell, the remainders are usually destroyed through a process called 'pulping'.
Why buy local books? ›Neighborhood bookstores often highlight the work of regional authors and small presses with special displays and events, and sell locally crafted gifts and art. Perusing a local bookshop can give you a clear sense of the town or neighborhood you're in, and the region's predominant interests and concerns.
What is the largest operating bookshop in the world? ›The Barnes & Noble location closed in early 2014. On December 22, 2010, Maruzen and Junkodou Shoten opened a 73,000 square foot (6804 m²) bookstore in the Umeda district of Osaka, Japan, overtaking these other three in terms of floor space.
What is the oldest bookstore in the world? ›
The Bertrand bookstore opened in Portugal in 1732, in Chiado and has held, since April 2010, the Guinness World Record for oldest bookstore still in activity.
Who is the largest book seller in the world? ›Powell's City of Books is the largest used and new bookstore in the world, housing approximately one million books. Powell's Books revenue is $45.0M as of 2021. Powell's Books has 500 employees, revenue per employee is $90,000. As of 2021 Books-A-Million revenue is $474.1M annually.
What is the oldest bookstore ever? ›Located in Portugal's capital city Lisbon, Livraria Bertrand, founded in 1732, is the world's oldest bookstore that is still in operation, according to the Guinness World Records.
What city has the most bookstores in the US? ›To no one's surprise, the Massachusetts town of Cambridge, with a ridiculous 51 book-related establishments per 100,000 Cantabrigians, is the No. 1 city in America for booklovers.
What is the smallest bookshop in the world? ›With little less than four square meters, space in Livraria Simão might be tight, but it's enough to store around 4,000 books.
What was the name of the bookstore that went out of business? ›With so many people going online to buy books, Borders lost out. The last time it turned a profit was 2006. In February of this year, it filed for bankruptcy protection.
What is the number 1 most read book? ›The Bible. Easily the most read book in the world is the Bible for obvious reasons. It is estimated to have sold over 40 million copies in the last 60 years. You can even find it at most hotels.
What is the most recognized book in the world? ›In the past 50 years, the Bible has sold over 3.9 billion copies. It is the most recognizable and famous book that has ever been published. The Bible is a collective book with many different preachings based on God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is the oldest book still in print? ›A Buddhist holy text, the Diamond Sūtra is considered to be the oldest surviving dated printed book in the world. Found in a walled up cave in China along with other printed materials, the book is made up of Chinese characters printed on a scroll of grey printed paper, wrapped along a wooden pole.
What state has the most book stores? ›What American state holds the honor of having the most bookstores? According to a new Publishers Weekly report, California has the largest number of bookstores total, but it's Montana that has the most per capita. The Big Sky State, with a population of only a little over a million, has more than 60 bookstores.
What city has the most bookstores? ›
With 41.9 bookstores per 100,000 people, Lisbon wins the title of the city with the most bookstores per capita. According to the World Cities Culture Forum, Portugal's capital city has significantly more bookstores per capita than the runner up.
What is the largest used bookstore in the US? ›About Powell's City of Books
Powell's City of Books is the largest used and new bookstore in the world, occupying an entire city block and housing approximately one million books.
- Bookscouter.com. Bookscouter.com is a website that helps you streamline the process of finding the best price, online, for your book. ...
- Amazon.com (as Third-Party Seller) There are two ways to sell books on Amazon. ...
- Sell Back Your Book. ...
- Bookstores.com. ...
- Half Price Books Stores. ...
- Yard Sales & Garage Sales. ...
- Half.com.
We'll remove content that does not adhere to these guidelines and promptly investigate any book when notified of potential noncompliance. If we remove a title, we let the author, publisher, or selling partner know and they can appeal our decision.
Is it better to buy books or borrow from library? ›Like everything in life, you gotta find the balance, in this case between buying and borrowing. Buy enough books to keep yourself satisfied. Buy the ones you know you're going to read again. Borrowing is a great way to experiment and it's free and local, and you can always go back and borrow the book again.
How do local bookstores get their books? ›Wholesalers and distributors are the two main channels for getting your book into retailers like Barnes & Noble, Borders, and indie bookstores, as well as libraries and schools, but determining how these channels differ and which one is best for your book can be confusing.
How do libraries decide which books to sell? ›In general, materials are chosen with a few important things in mind: the make up of the community, demand for the title, and whether or not we already own other books that are by that author or on a similar topic.
What retailer sells the most books? ›Amazon is the largest book retailer in the world with a catalog that includes more than 33 million titles, and they will ship them just about anywhere.
Where is the biggest Barnes and Noble in the US? ›The largest individual bookstore in the world measured by square footage is the Barnes Noble Bookstore at 105 Fifth Ave at 18th Street, New York City, USA.
What big bookstore chain went out of business? ›What is the oldest black-owned book store? ›
As the nation's oldest Black-owned independent bookstore celebrating its 60th year, Marcus Books' mission is to provide opportunities for Black folks and their allies to celebrate and learn about Black people everywhere.
What is the oldest book in the library? ›The oldest written material in the Library is a cuneiform tablet dating from 2040 B.C.
What is the oldest black-owned bookstore in America? ›Jackson is home to the oldest Black-owned bookstore in North America. Marshall's Music and Book Store in the heart of downtown Jackson is a family business that opened in 1938.
What is the #1 book ever sold? ›According to Guinness World Records as of 1995, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed.
What country buys the most books? ›- United States – Apparently, the U.S. reads about 275,232 per year. ...
- China – The country reads 208,418 books on average per year, and this totals about 10% of all books bought.
- United Kingdom – This nation reads about 188,000 every year.
The Guinness Book of World Records ranks Mary Faulkner (1903-1973) as the most prolific novelist, having written 904 books.
What is the second oldest bookstore in the world? ›1000 visitors a day in the second oldest bookstore in the world.
What age is the greatest bookshop in the world for? ›The Grandest Bookshop in the World is suitable for ages 9+. Readers who love thrilling fantasy stories, foreboding villains, fascinating real-life historical details and sibling adventures will love this unique book.
When was the last bookstore opened? ›A small, independent bookseller, dramatically called “The Last Bookstore” opened in 2003 in a loft in downtown Los Angeles. From there, it slowly grew in size (it's now housed in a 22,000 square foot former bank building on Spring street) and became both a local institution and a tourist haven.
What is the USA most sold books? ›Best-selling books in the U.S. 2023
The best-selling book in the United States as of the week ending March 11, 2022 was "Never Never" by Colleen Hoover with 38.56 thousand units sold. Hoover's books "It Starts With Us" and "It Ends With Us" followed closely behind that week in second and third place respectively.
What city reads the most books? ›
| 1. Seattle, Wash. | 11. Charlotte, N.C. |
|---|---|
| 7. San Francisco, Calif. | 17. Jacksonville, Fla. |
| 8. Albuquerque, N.M. | 18. San Antonio, Texas |
| 9. Denver, Colo. | 19. Nashville, Tenn. |
| 10. Louisville, Ky. | 20. Chicago, Ill. |
Nevada had the nation's fewest number of bookstores per capita — one for every 110,006 state residents — perhaps making it an underserved market that could potentially support new bookstores.
What is the banned bookshop about? ›Bell River's literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in the past, and Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So, when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie will have to get creative to keep the shop afloat.
What is the biggest floating bookstore? ›Great news for all the bookworms out there; Logos Hope, the world's largest floating library is in Port Said until the 23rd of January. This marks the second time Logos Hope comes to Egypt since the time it first docked its ship here in 2010.
What is the oldest book store in America? ›Oldest in the Country
Founded in 1745, the Moravian Book Shop is located in the heart of historic Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and is the oldest continuously operating bookstore in the country.
Warwick's is the oldest continuously family-owned and operated bookstore in the United States - here's the story: Warwick's founder, William T. Warwick was born in Atlantic, Iowa in 1867.
Who is Barnes and Noble's biggest competitor? ›Barnes & Noble main competitors are Costco Wholesale, Teavana, and Gap Inc. Competitor Summary. See how Barnes & Noble compares to its main competitors: Walmart has the most employees (2,300,000).
What is the most beautiful bookstore in the world National Geographic? ›Inside 'The World's Most Beautiful Bookstore' In Argentina National Geographic has named El Ateneo Grand Splendid the top shop in the world. But that's only where the history of the 100-year-old Buenos Aires building, once a palatial theater, begins.
What is Earth's biggest bookstore? ›Amazon.com, Inc., Earth's Biggest Bookstore, is the leading online retailer of books and is the premier bookseller on AOL.com, Excite.com, Yahoo!, AltaVista Search Network, and the Prodigy Shopping Network.
Did JK Rowling visit Livraria Lello? ›The story goes that Livraria Lello is actually the inspiration behind some of the famous Hogwarts scenery in Harry Potter. This story began when JK Rowling used to live in Porto as an English teacher, visiting the bookstore at the weekend.
Where is the world's oldest bookstore? ›
The Bertrand bookstore opened in Portugal in 1732, in Chiado and has held, since April 2010, the Guinness World Record for oldest bookstore still in activity.
What is the biggest bookstore in the US? ›Powell's City of Books is the largest used and new bookstore in the world, housing approximately one million books. Powell's Books revenue is $45.0M as of 2021.
Do people still read National Geographic? ›Legendary legacy, boundless future
Well over a century after our founding, National Geographic continues to reach and resonate with millions of people worldwide.
- CULTURE. Appian Way, Italy. Busan, South Korea. ...
- NATURE. Scottish Highlands. Botswana. ...
- ADVENTURE. New Zealand. Choquequirao, Peru. ...
- COMMUNITY. Dodecanese Islands, Greece. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ...
- FAMILY. Trinidad & Tobago. San Francisco Crosstown Trail, California.
Amazon is the largest book retailer in the world with a catalog that includes more than 33 million titles, and they will ship them just about anywhere.
What is the biggest book collection? ›The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world with more than 173 million items.
What hotel did J.K. Rowling finish Harry Potter? ›The Balmoral Hotel, a Rocco Forte gem that sits loftily on the Scottish capital's high street, is home to the room where author J.K. Rowling escaped to complete the final book of the Harry Potter series.
Do you need a ticket for Livraria Lello? ›How much is entrance to Livraria Lello? In order to enter Livraria Lello, you need a Ticket-Voucher. There are various types with the cost starting at €5 (fully discountable against the purchase of a book). Check the TICKET-VOUCHER menu to find out more.
Which cafe did J.K. Rowling write Harry Potter? ›Opened in 1995, The Elephant House has established itself as one of the best tea and coffee houses in Edinburgh. Author J.K. Rowling ,had her first book published while she was writing in the back room overlooking Edinburgh Castle, making The Elephant House the “birthplace” of the series of Harry Potter novels.
What is the oldest printed book still in existence? ›A Buddhist holy text, the Diamond Sūtra is considered to be the oldest surviving dated printed book in the world. Found in a walled up cave in China along with other printed materials, the book is made up of Chinese characters printed on a scroll of grey printed paper, wrapped along a wooden pole.
What is the oldest book still published? ›
The oldest extant printed book is a work of the Diamond Sutra and dates back to 868 CE, during the Tang Dynasty.
What is the oldest book ever? ›The earliest surviving written literature is from ancient Mesopotamia. The Epic of Gilgamesh is often cited as the first great composition, although some shorter compositions have survived that are even earlier (notably the “Kesh Temple Hymn” and “The Instructions of Shuruppak”).