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City Lights Bookstore
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Bookstores Bookstores [Edit]
261 Columbus Aveat Broadway
(between Jack Kerouac Aly & Saroyan Pl)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
(415) 362-8193
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 12 am
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
386 reviews for City Lights Bookstore
Review Highlights
"The basement, the poetry room, lots to see and explore."
(in 86 reviews)
"Thank you, Lawrence Ferlinghetti."
(in 13 reviews)
"A great collection of literature from the Beat generation."
(in 14 reviews)
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386 reviews in English
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Review from V B.
Burlingame, CA
1/29/2012
I consider myself a traditionalist, but not conservative. I own an ipad, well actually more than one but we will not travel down that road.
iPads are supposed to replace books. For reals? After visiting City Lights I think not.
No bonfires here. -
Review from Tony S.
Durango, CO
1/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
This ain't no Barnes & Noble! Thanks goodness!
CIty Lights is steeped in history. It's amazing... and somewhat creepy.
They've got some very unique sections, specialty areas of interest, and books that just pull you in (whether you interested in the subject or not!)
If you've never been, I recommend checking it out. You may become a fan. -
Review from Irene M.
San Francisco, CA
11/11/2011
This is the best bookstore on the West Coast, possibly in the entire US. They published Howl when no one else would! Who wouldn't love them?
Aside from that, visiting City Lights is a special treat for me. The atmosphere is great, the selection to die for, and the kindred spirits abundant. I have never loved a bookstore more. -
Review from Chantal C.
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
1/26/2012
So...can I just live here?
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Review from Justin P.
Berkeley, CA
1/23/2012
So much history. From the Beat Generation with Kerouac and Ginsberg, to later works by Bukowski and Chomsky, City Lights has been publishing independtly since before my parents were born. It's always a place I bring visitors so they can get a taste of how San Francisco became what it is today. Definitely worth a look.
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Review from Mayra L.
San Francisco, CA
10/17/2011
This bookstore is so rich with history. It's really cool to come and see it and kinda get a feel for everything that happened here as far as the Beat Writers.
It has 3 levels of books, one which has a whole section devoted entirely to the Beat Writers. It was a huge array of genres and selection. I love the layout and space of the bookstore. It was all these little weird nooks and corners where you can settle down and read.
It's really a great bookstore. Although I'm hopelessly devoted to Green Apple, I would rank this as my second favorite for sure. -
Review from Michelle C.
Los Angeles, CA
11/23/2011
I can literally spend hours lost in a bookstore... especially in small cramped bookstores where the literature covers almost every inch of the walls. City Lights is one of those magical places. A tight squeeze between the shelves, spiral staircases into the basement, books lurking in unexpected nooks and crannies... I'm so charmed I wish I could live here!
Listed in: I left my heart in San…
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Review from Evelyn S.
9/8/2011
It was a nice way to top off an evening spent with friends in North Beach.
I enjoyed the feel of the place, sort of Eccentric Aunt meets English Lit Professor.
Spent most of my time sitting on one or another of the chairs that are scattered throughout, perusing books I've heard about but have yet to read, or rereading some favorite pages in books I had enjoyed sometime in my past.
Staff left you to wonder on your own but were knowledgeable when asked a question. -
Review from Rickye J.
Emeryville, CA
10/18/2011
The bookstore is has a lot of hidden treasures, books that are worth reading not because they're in style which makes reading more expressive.
The bookstore has the setting of one you tend to see in romantic movies or Mad About You. It was tight with a spiral stairway that leads to a host of well-known and undiscovered gems. A major plus is that it stays open till midnight making it a great place to go to when you want to escape the fast pace and noise of the City. -
Review from Falynn A.
North Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
12/17/2011
I believe the hype surrounding this book store is overrated. You can find a lot of the same, popular books online or at any other book store. The poetry floor was interesting. Yet, I was not impressed. I would recommend Marcus bookstores located in the Fillmore/Western addition neighborhood. Its definitely more broad and still indie if you want to be a hipster/elitist like that. Plus, the store manager actually talks to you about the books, helps you look around. This one had really lazy employees, and people are rude when you sit down to read a book. stepping all over your stuff and bumping into you without hesitation or apologies. The books were overpriced as well. For everything that this bookstore 'stands for' I would say I was extremely let down.
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Review from T.C. J.
9/9/2011
Iconic. What a great bookstore. What great history.
Sure, it's always packed with people and a little cramped. Tourists everywhere snapping photos like crazy. But the history of this place, the way its tucked perfectly into a cozy little storefront. The entire section with only Beat Writers is upstairs and at nights some seriously good authors preform readings free of charge. It's wonderful.
Does it have the best selection in town? Probably not. Are the prices the cheapest? Naw. Despite that is it one of the best bookstores in the country? Most definitely.
To think about how City Lights changed the entire landscape of American Literature, of all the great authors that came through its doors, it makes anyone who loves literature break out in goosebumps. -
Review from Jesse F.
Queens, NY
11/11/2011
Famous liberal bookstore! All indie bookstores deserve at least 4 stars. But I feel like City Lights is resting on its laurels. The typed up staff recommendations read like a freshman english major's book report. Dry. Forced. There wasn't any heart behind them. Not one intrigued me enough to buy the book. Compare this to Borderlands, where the staff picks are handwritten and you can feel the personalities and enthusiasm behind them... so much better!
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Review from Ching T.
Whittier, CA
This is for serious readers only. I have never pondered the power of my femininity, racial development/interaction, existence, etc until I stumbled into City Lights Bookstore with some friends.
I love how every vertical space is used and it just has that really cozy personal library kinda feel on all three floors. Bummer they don't have a public bathroom, but kudos to the guy for letting me charge my iphone and for the outlet downstairs where another customer and I were sucking up juice for our phones. lol
Super fun titles with many that were quite SF oriented. This def isn't a bookstore in La La land that's for sure.
A must do if you're in the Little Italy or Chinatown area. -
Review from gummibear h.
San Francisco, CA
8/29/2011
The workers here are surly and have major attitude. I would think that they would be nicer to their customers, since I am buying books at full price (to support a local bookstore) when I can find the same books online for way cheaper.
When I was at the register checking out, the guy handled the transaction with disdain and said nothing, no greeting, no thanks, barely looked at me. The bookstore itself is claustrophobic and cramped-- I am not sure why people think this place is so cool. I guess some people love this place but I will be buying my books elsewhere. -
Review from Meghan D.
San Francisco, CA
4/2/2011
I wanted to love this place, gosh did I. However the staff at City Lights made that impossible, or rather I should say 60ish male cashier who single-handedly took away a $62 sale from the bookstore.
The tale: I had called ahead to see if they had four books I wanted. They did! I was stoked and told the girl I had talked to I'd be right down. "Ok" she said. And I promptly walked right to City Lights.
Upon entering I made my way to the appropriate section to find the books I was seeking. I found three of the four and then headed to the cashier, when up there I told him I was looking for one more and the title and this is where the fun began...
He then proceeded to tell me that they had the books at the counter and that I "should have heard that someone had to go look for them for me" and that I needed to go put the ones I had grabbed back. At this point I was already feeling a little shocked that he was chastising me for getting books but I said, "No problem, I'll go put the others back".
However it didn't end there, he continued to tell me that I was rude for making someone go get them and that I didn't even leave my name with the girl. Um EXCUSE ME?! First of all, I live in a world with this thing called a computer that can easily look up inventory, how the heck was I supposed to know that someone was physically going to look for them? It took all of a minute for them to look four books up so I figured this was electronic. Second, I wasn't asked my name nor was I told that they had pulled the books and were holding them for me behind the counter. I hadn't asked them to do that and they didn't tell me that they did. Its a shame because I found it quite lovely that they had made that effort (one of the younger girls that works there) and had this old Scrooge-type character not decided to be rude my entire experience would have been amazing.
He told me the price and continued to bully me and reached for my credit card. "No" I told him, "I'll go buy these books at a Barnes & Nobles or another bookstore. You're being quite mean and making me feel awful." No apology, nothing. Just a simple look of annoyance and he turned away.
I started to leave and then decided to walk back in and tell one of the other cashiers that I was quite offended and additionally, I explained that I wasn't even aware that someone had grabbed the books for me. She said that she hadn't heard our exchange and said "sorry he made you feel that way" and that was about it. I think she felt uneasy with the situation as I don't think she was a manager or anything. I appreciated that she at the very least said "sorry", but I am disappointed that that was all she could muster.
I LOVE books and independent book stores and think its a shame that I will never walk into this place again as its five short blocks from my apartment. One person was able to ruin my entire experience there. I hope to heck he's not the owner/manager. You can thank Mr. Scrooge for the loss of all my book buying business.
Again, I wanted to love this place and am disappointed that my experience ruined it for me. The store itself is really quite great, but if the people are rude, you just can't overcome it. So...I guess its off to a chain store where they can sell me the same books, at a lower price, ply me with overpriced coffee and zero ambiance, but at least they'll do it without insulting me. -
Review from Mike V.
10/12/2011 3 Check-ins Here
A San Francisco Institution. One of the last remaining. I continue to go here over Amazon whenever I can. Also great for special events and signings.
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Review from Sarah M.
Los Angeles, CA
10/20/2011
Stumbled in here stoned off my ass at 11pm instead of going to the strip club with my friends. Great bookstore.
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Review from Ha N.
3/21/2011
My true love and greatest pleasure in life. Great literature. This is my heaven. I don't do much but the one thing I do a lot of, is read. Although I love the Kindle, there is nothing better than the smell and feel of a book in your hands. My love for literature must have sprung from my father, whose love for poetry and folk tales was contagious. He encouraged me to read and nurtured my love of literature by dropping me off at the public library every weekend while he played tennis.
City Lights is a true book lover's paradise. There are so many different kind of rare books that you wouldn't be able to find at our local Border's. Although I'm a fan of literature in general, my favorite would have to be Russian Literature and believe me when I say, it's not easy finding anything in that department at Borders. But at City Lights, there's probably hundreds of books, some I never even knew was available. There are writers from all around the world Balzac, Vladimir Nabokov, Alexandre Dumas, Nguyen Du, Hemingway, Austen, Orwell, Pasternak, Frost, Whitman, Kerouac, Salinger and my all time favorite because I'm a California girl at heart, John Steinbeck. No matter who the author, what langugage it's written in I guarantee that you will be able to find it at City Lights.
Until I can finally visit Shakespeare and Company in Paris, City Lights will do. -
Review from Vonetta Y.
Washington, DC
5/27/2011
I know, I know. "Vonetta, you're a writer in America; this place should be your Mecca!"
Meh. Seemed fine enough to me.
I know it's chockful of history and such, but I wasn't moved. Seemed like another bookstore with a decent selection of eccentric literature. A little pretentious, but it's proud of its heritage. I get that, I guess. But didn't seem bow-down-able to me. -
Review from Justin S.
San Francisco, CA
7/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
The best show in town. One of the best bookstores in the world! People start to hate when something gets to much praise, and usually deservedly so as the quality usually drops, but this place holds true all these years later.
Support them, they don't necessarily need you help like Green Apple but they deserve your respect. -
Review from Peter S.
San Francisco, CA
11/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not really a book guy - but this place has an amazing collection.
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Review from D F.
San Francisco, CA
7/8/2011
This is the best bookstore in San Francisco that I have been able to find. It definitely leans left. Notice the names of the sections downstairs.
But for choice this shop amounts to a very interesting place to browse and enjoy. The fiction is curiously misarranged. Nevermind, it is all a labyrinthe.
And was that old guy at the cash register rude to me? Or does he own the place, and he is sad that Ginsberg can't be found? Not sure.
Interesting posters of Russian poets from the 60s adorn one of the rooms.
It is a good place to browse, could be arranged a little better. -
Review from Will D.
Claremont, CA
10/24/2011
I knew nothing of the history of this place, but I just stumbled upon it while staying at the Green Tortoise Hostel down the street. Spent a fun couple of hours browsing.
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Review from Josh G.
San Francisco, CA
7/15/2011
Since this is the review section for a book store, I imagine you like reading. So stick around and read this in-depth review.
I walked halfway across the city to meet the wife at a restaurant and then find something fun to do on Friday night. While walking home we realized that we were very close to City Lights. Since she has always wanted to go into that bookstore, English major and poetry lover, and I happen to like reading a great deal as well, we stopped in.
You have to check your bag at the counter, which we did with no qualms. The book store is 3 levels, but setup in a way that makes you feel as though you are weaving yourself through some type of maze, like the one in The Shining, although I wasn't all crazy looking like Jack Nicholson. That would come later on during the walk home. They have a great selection of books, and regardless of what you like they should have something there for you. Art history, fiction, women studies, anthropology, magazines, and the top floor was dedicated to poetry and beat.
While walking up the winding stairs to the poetry/beat floor, the walls were decorated with prints by Larry Keenan, each one with a small excerpt of what Larry had to say about each moment he captured on film. My wife was busy pouring herself into each shelf and emerging with a new book to buy. Too bad our meal cost more than I wanted, or we could have wrangled up even more. We decided that the small handful we had was enough for now, so we made our way downstairs to check out. This is where it went south a bit.
My wife handed our pile to the woman behind the counter and after she came up with the total, she grabbed our bags and then I handed over my credit card. While waiting for it to process I looked at some postcards they had in front of the register, which showed a horde of people outside the bookstore on a sunny day. What was this all about? Well while pondering this, the receipt to be signed was handed over to me, and the cashier was clearly perturbed that I hadn't grabbed it to sign in the .7 seconds after it was ripped from the printer. Feeling awkward as if I had done something wrong, I tried to reason that I was just looking at the cards trying to figure them out. She was unmoved and waited for me to sign.
This was actually an opportunity for the cashier to go "oh that card is about blah blah blah", and quite possibly I would have gotten one thus giving them even more money. Is customer service, polite customer service a thing of the past? Are people just too cool for it, or is that part of the ambiance of the store? The economy, for many people, is beating them down like a pack of wild dogs on a bacon-wrapped pot roast and I am just supposed to walk away with a smile on my face after being treated like I interrupted this cashier, and made her do her job? As we left not even a "goodbye", "see you next time", "thanks for stopping by", or even a "go fuck yourself". Nothing.
I get it, it's a famous bookstore and in San Francisco, and people will continue to go due to that fact alone. Yet, that is also the reason NO ONE that works in a place like this should be anything less than manically happy. Aside from the job market being poor, the news becoming more grim by the day, and many people deciding that luxuries can wait for a while until the economy perks up, why would anyone in their right mind allow for workers to act like this? Its not only rude to the customers that spend their hard earned money here, but its rude to those of us that have crappy jobs digging ditches, scrubbing toilets, flipping burgers, and like myself being a parking attendant (with 4 degrees no less). Maybe the people that work here need a reminder that they could have it far worse. I don't care how many people they deal with, how rude some customers are or whatever, get another job. One you can deal with, or one that people don't have to deal with you.
So we had our experience at this book store, but this is it. I will go right back to spending my money at Amazon. Sure I have to wait, and sure there is zero customer service, or humans to interact with. It will be cheaper, and I won't feel bad I spent my money there. I can take my new book to a park, or to a coffee shop and read, and not walk home crazy like Jack Torrance wielding my bag of books that I bought at a store that never deserved my money in the first place. -
Review from Randy P.
San Francisco, CA
3/13/2011
Great bookstore...and a little piece of san francisco history rolled into one
The hipster dorkus cashier was totally unpleasant and sort of rude...which is a pity.... -
Review from Paul D.
San Francisco, CA
8/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is my favorite bookstore on the planet, so I am biased and can't say anything else without tainting your precious thoughts.
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Review from Halley B.
San Francisco, CA
11/3/2010
An institution of inspiration. Head upstairs to the "beat" area, and you can almost feel the warmth of past poets reading the works.
The staff clearly knows they work at such an important place. They will give good recommendations but they full embrace the persona of "book snob." Yes, amazon is less expensive, but if you buy a book here you'll always remember where it was from and what that means. Help out a local indie book store and buy a piece of SF history. City Lights is incredible icon, and needs your support. -
Review from Joel G.
6/29/2011
This was kind of a cool bookstore. There was a lot of niche reading materials, so if you are looking for Barnes and Noble, you'll be disappointed. Overall I liked this bookstore even though it didn't really fall under my preferred reading subjects. I still recommend the store.
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Review from Gadi C.
Providence, RI
1/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Loooove.
If you're already in the area, visit the Beat Museum, which is basically like a required supplement if you really want to understand your shopping experience. Some of the most interesting books and people I've ever seen are here... especially that one chick behind the counter. She's awesome!
This is not a used book store, so it's not really "inexpensive". But to immerse yourself in these books and in the history of these walls is a true once-in-a-lifetime experience. -
Review from Candice B.
San Francisco, CA
11/1/2010
I am the kind of consumer that cannot buy anything that isn't on sale. It's like a disease. Buying books from Amazon makes me feel incredibly guilty like I am personally going around the neighborhood closing up book stores that have been around for decades. But I can't help it! Amazon has the price and the convenience.
So with all the pent up guilt, we walked into City Lights one beautiful sunny day to casually browse around. There is no musty smell or disorganized book shelves. Everything is neat and well-labeled and easy to find. I ended up getting some random books for us adults and some for our baby son.
And this is what made the trip special:
The guy behind the counter went through the books and was like, hmm, haven't read this one...must check it out...the illustrator did this other wonderful book with the long tailed rabbit...
Now, I seriously don't expect people who work in bookstores to have read most or any of the books they were selling, let alone a children's book!
Then he went on to the next book and told me that the illustration is adorable but he didn't care for the ending. "I don't like the resolution of the book. I wished the rabbit would have resolved the issue on his own instead of relying on the group for validation."
Wow, to put this much thought into a book that is going to be "read" by my 4 month old son who doesn't know the difference between his hand and his foot, I am just speechless.
City Lights is exactly what I look for in an independent book store and I am so glad I supported them that day. I really need to stop obsessing over the $2 I saved from buying from Amazon and start going to these real bookstores more often. -
Review from Stephen B.
Denver, CO
6/20/2011
Guy at the counter on evening of June 12 was R-U-D-E.
Never mind that the policy of having to check your bag is insulting and inconvenient to customers and I imagine does little to nothing to actually reduce theft, the manner in which my bag was demanded (aggressive and rude) resulted in me just leaving the store.
I've purchased items from the store before, but doubt that I will ever again.
As it happens, my wife had a co-worker visting San Francisco around the same time and they also had a bad experience: "There was no public restroom, and the jerk at the front desk was pretty sarcastic about telling her to go to a bar. She was like, 'Why would I spend money at a place like that? I guess they feel like because they're a landmark, they don't need to not act like assholes.'" -
Review from Barb B.
5/31/2011
Five stars for being, in these days, the rare, surviving INDEPENDENT bookstore and a landmark literary icon of San Francisco. The place has a historical "feel" to it when perusing the books in the nooks and crannies of the store. I may sound like an old bag, but there is still something magical about the physicality of holding/reading a book and the smell of books in a bookstore such as City Lights.
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Review from Whitney D.
San Francisco, CA
8/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Really neat store and I'm glad I can now check it off of my list. I could do a lot of damage in this place. With that said, I was expecting there to be used books in this place and was mildly disappointed to find that they really only offer new books. I'm a fan of supporting the author directly but I'm also a fan of reading lots of books and being able to pay my rent. Yes it is definitely a must-see if you are in San Francisco, but as a book reader/collector/hoarder, I will be spending/throwing my money in the pits of other awesome used book stores around town.
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Review from Gabriel A.
San Diego, CA
10/17/2010
Pros:
Near Chinatown
Excellent collection of books.
Great hours of operation
Great place to meet people
knowledgeable staff
Cons:
No military discount
Small staircase going down to the basement floor. -
Review from Sunday A.
Palm Desert, CA
8/2/2010
I had incredibly high expectations. Maybe too high. I like rare books, but nothing pretentious. I am a customer who desires more than the Oprah pick, but I'll read that too. And I love poky bookstores, I like windy small tiny ones. This one just felt like a disorganized tourist trap with a romantic history.
I had a list of six books I wanted to buy, and I was only able to find two out of the six, and even then after hyperventilating through a crowd of tourists trying to find Let the Great World Spin or something. The selection was poor and the European fiction author section vs. Other was heartbreaking. How am I supposed to know where an author primarily resides by their last name?
Hard to find books? Hardly. They generalize on interesting topics, but fun categories don't make it rare. If you're looking for a bestseller and want to support an independent bookstore with a famous past, it's fine for that. Expect to pay full price. -
Review from Arthur O.
Oakland, CA
11/25/2010
Have been going here many years, always a pleasure. Use to work a block away, now I am in Berkeley and missing the store very much.
Can't think of another store with such an amazing foreign literature section.
In fact, can't think of another bookstore in the bay area that compares except William Stout and 871 Fine Arts, which both have a specialty. -
Review from Jessica R.
New Orleans, LA
7/11/2010
Wish I'd had more time (and money!) to spend at City Lights, because I could've spent DAYS perusing their three floors of books. I can't wait to go back. It's a must-see in San Francisco, even if you're not much of a reader. Check it out just so you can say you've been there.
After I picked out a book, I remembered I needed a new Moleskine, and was surprised to learn that City Lights doesn't carry them. However, the guy who rang me up gave me directions to another store in North Beach with a full selection of Moleskine notebooks. It was helpful information, and I found the other store with no problem.
Can't wait to go back!Listed in: Five Star Reviews, C List, Adventures in San Francisco, I Heart Books
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Review from John M.
San Diego, CA
6/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
I was first introduced to "City Lights Bookstore" back in 1986 while I was attending college in San Francisco. I had this wonderful spirit who guided me to this store and who just happened to be "MY" English Professor at the University.
She was an unspoiled product of the San Francisco 1950's and 60's era that took our class under her wing and showed us all the coolness and poise that is the poetry scene in San Francisco.
At the beginning of the semester, as a 22 year old mental-weakling, I loathed the idea of reading poetry and forget about the idea of reading my deepest of feelings aloud in front of perfect strangers.
In a very short time, that all changed and thanks to my wise and dedicated professor my eye's were opened to a whole new world that all began in-between the bookshelves within my beloved "City Lights Bookstore."
This place is the Mecca of all that is poetry. All those who read poetry to suck the marrow from life, must make their pilgrimage here before they die so that they too can sit with all the poetry greats after their own death.
I'll be there ;-) -
Review from scott d.
Arlington, VA
6/2/2010
It should be painfully obvious to my small but devoted fanbase that I dig bookstores. In particular, I dig bookstores with leftist intellectual proclivities. Unfortunately, my hometown lacked such a booksmyth. The closest thing we had was the totally decent but short-lived Tower Books (right next to the equally doomed Tower Records). Given these circumstances, I always felt hungry for material that would suit my perspective, but was often left with a void.
I made my discovery of City Lights the summer after 9/11 while visiting San Fran after my high school graduation. I immediately knew I had found something special while walking up Columbus and seeing the giant banners that read, "Dissent Is Not Un American." Inside I found everything I'd always been looking for: all manner of serious discourse on progressivism, humanities, global history, and classic literature. However, the poetry floor might be the place's most striking feature. Even with my elementary knowledge of poetry was I able to able to recognize what a gold mine I had before me. There's this latent energy of all the Beat era poets there, and I can only imagine how it must have been to be a part of this place when Ginsberg's Howl was published.
Normally I don't think shopping is a very worthwhile activity for travelers but this is a glaring exception. This place should be mandatory for visitors to San Fran, especially those who consider themselves to be lovers of knowledge and art. Personally, I could get lost for days here, immersed in my fantasies of living in a time and place where establishments like this are not such a rarity.Listed in: greatest hits
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Review from Teresa S.
4/28/2011
I love Bookstores! This one has to be the best in the world though!......Well, First off 3 floors of fabulous history!! As you walk around and can just feel the history that has taken place here. It is amazing to me. The photos and posters...Ahhh. I love it so much. The top floor is probably the best, even looking out the window to see the neighbors hanging all their laundry outside, including giant underpants is just so much fun! Makes you feel like you are back in time. While the staff may not always be all you hope , the ambiance is Bloody Magic!
Listed in: Best Stores for a happy…
