What an awesome bookstore! Since the pandemic, shopping in person is by appointment only. I emailed them in the late afternoon to see if they could accommodate me last minute for the next day, and there was no issue with that. You get buzzed in, then head to the third floor. There's stairs or an elevator. One of the three employees pointed me to the section I was interested in and I was able to browse for as long as I liked, which I did so for an hour. A large majority of their sales are online, so I was the only patron in the store the entire time I was there. They had so many rare, out of print, obscure titles in their collection, which is exactly what I was looking for. If you're ever in San Francisco and are interested in rare books, this is a great place to check out! read more

See all

Best bookstore in the Bay Area. Bar none. Really thorough stock in multiple subjects of interest to movement folks.

I have purchased several items from Bolerium Books and have to say the experience each time has been outstanding. To the point I would have to say the best overall experience I have had with and company. All questions are answered quickly, professionally, the website is simple to navigate, the ordering secure, immediate confirmation, shipping is done the same day or next, tracking number is always sent and when it arrives it is like Christmas. Each book is neatly wrapped, magazines are inserted into protective sleeves with a chipboard for support, and each order has been 100% accurate. Trust this group to delivery to the highest standards. read more

Truly unique, only in San Francisco, repository of cultural movement (all kinds, left of center) books and memorabilia. Should be a destination on the off-beat tourist track. Stuffed with surprises and little joys. The guidance by the knowledgable owners and employees is superb. Just a wonderful place. Go online to find selections before visiting. read more

this is the place for people who know that the world is abnormal instead of falling into pursuing meaningless success. Plenty of rare copies of socialist/communist books and pamphlets. Of course, you can find all the classics of leftist works. read more

See all

If your hours online m say that you're open until 6pm and it's only 5:45pm why would the door be locked? This is literally the dumbest business model. Leave it to us Leftist to not accept business transactions that would pay the bills cause ya know LAZINESS. Update: in response to your comment below, I did ring the bell and was told by someone who came to the door at 5:45 that you were closed for the day. Feel free to change your hours online - I'm sure there's a book you have about how the internet works for help. read more

A revolutionary nerd's paradise. Shelves lined with first editions dating from the turn of the previous century, tons of left-wing ephemera, and staff that know better than to take themselves too seriously. The layout is way confusing, but that only adds to the thrill of finding that one obscure party congress report you've been dying to add to your collection. A word of caution, though: while they do accept credit cards, LEAVE IT AT HOME. You'll know what I mean when you get there. I DARE YOU NOT TO LOSE YOURSELF IN HERE FOR HOURS. read more

This is a specialty bookstore for radical and progressive political ephemera and texts, with large queer and labor sections (used books, mind you). Finding such a carefully contemplated and curated bookstore that is a trove of human knowledge you can't get elsewhere is rare-- a stop worthy for most non-squeamish bookstore lovers. The playful store map will itself be collectible ephemera one day. The staff are kind and once they gave me a bag of canned fruit and vegetables they didn't need, so there was that. read more

Okay so this is really a second hand review for now. Kind of a step child or half-sister review as it were. My dear friend and sister of the radical spirit Cynthia V. N. is the Buffalo Historical Society Librarian and posted this to me. The email subject was: Radical Shopping. "Hi, Captain, I just have to pass along the name of a bookstore in your neck of the woods that quickly filled an order for two pamphlets for the collection at the Historical Society. http://www.bolerium.com/cgi-bin/bol48/index.html I found one on Operation Rescue and one from the Buffalo Marxist Youth Collective, ca. 1974, at prices we could afford. All sorts of radical stuff on their shelves." Best, -C. *:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-* Cynthia V. N., MLS, bettybarcode AT yahoo DOT com www.BuffaloResearch.com I do plan to take a pilgrimage to this fabulous fount of radical literature in one of my favorite walking neighborhoods of the SF Mission District. Hey, if under-funded institutions in Buffalo, NY can afford to shop here, consider how much us locals would be able to afford. The imagination simply reels with the possibilities. I keep planning walks with my friends "to do" the Mission District for murals or various other things. This will now be on the agenda for our next Tour De Mission. read more

Another reviewer wrote that "this place is not for everyone". But it sure has been for me. This is one of the two or three best places in the country... perhaps the world... perhaps THE best place in the world... to look for and purchase rare radical periodicals. Its proprietor, John Durham, I've found to be the nicest, most knowledgeable, conscientioius, and entertaining booksellers I've ever met. I am engaged in a years-long major project digitally archiving USA radical literature, and Bolerium Books has proven invaluable for obtaining source material. I understand they do business with major libraries and collectors all over the world. IF you are interested in this kind of material, DO NOT MISS dropping by the store if you are in the San Francsico Bay Area. This is a truly extraordinary place. ---marty for the Riazanov Library read more

Awesome place, just stop in and explore for a little while and make sure you at least try to talk to some of the employees. They are smart, knowledgable, and can, on occasion be very funny. This place has ALL KINDS of things from Black Panther Posters, to State Dept. Memos, to Gay Erotica (not my thing, but it may be others' - if so you REALLY need to check this place out.) Just a wild, fun, interesting, friendly place. read more

I don't know why anybody would attempt to go into Bolerium with 15 minutes on the clock; allow yourself an hour or three, depending on how closely their inventory pairs up with your area of interest... Chalk up the locked door as a small speedbump on your path to enlightenment and try again. Wear a silly mustache next time so you won't be recognized... Now here's the deal: this is a specialist bookseller dealing with two primary specialties -- (1) political radicalism and the labor movement; (2) gay literature and ephemera of the gay liberation movement. You want to buy current popular fiction? A how-to book on repairing cuckoo clocks? A Guatamalan cookbook? Wrong frickin' bookstore, bucko! Now, if one of their two areas of focus DOES hit your battleship, welcome to Nirvana, in all its gloriously delapidated, burgeoning Mission Street wonder. Staffed by experts, stuffed by astute buying, priced fairly. Political collectors will be delighted to peruse the bins and bins and bins of pamphlets. Secret stashes of old political mags for the hardcore collector nerd weirdos in need of maxxing out their credit card. John and Alex and the Merry Miscreants are the bomb! (P.S. Google is stupid, they think I live in Albany. Not on a bet.) read more

Great bookstore. Like a bookstore should be. Books everywhere. Dusty. Located in hard to find, back of building up stairs have to ring up and damn well worth it! The guys who work here (I assume its a cooperative) are friendly and helpful and the place itself is a wonderful tribute to San Francisco as a beacon of freedom and progressivism and mostly radicalism. Thank you Bolerium!!!! read more

I am so happy this store exists. A place to find out about the people who get things moving in the world, believe it can be different and make it change. The guy who helped me find a book by Sarah Schulman was so funny - what a twinkle in his eye! This is the kind of place that makes San Francisco fantastic, special, interesting, fascinating. It's about always questioning our world and trying to make it the way we know deep inside it can be - beautiful and just. read more

I've sold books to John. Great folks to deal with. Transparent, responsive, and knowledgeable.

You can't find anything like this anywhere else on the planet. Knowledgeable smart and funny staff (principled struggle keeps these guys regular, and vice versa) work with an unparalleled stock. No serious reader who finds Bolerium visits just once. I'd live next door if I could. (The password is "swordfish.") read more

This bookstore charges 12 dollars for my 1 dollar zine, OCD Throws Bows. If you want a copy, please e-mail me at bioproject@gmail.com or visit my australian distributor at http://burrowsandco.storenvy.com/?page=1 . I'm sure it will be cheaper to get it shipped from Australia than to get it from there. read more

Ok, so this place isn't for everybody. Don't expect leather bound Rudyard Kipling or dogeared copies of Dune. What you will find (if you can find the store...it is well hidden, and you have to be buzzed in to get inside, but don't let that deter you) is a wonderland of subversive literature, non fiction mostly. Don't be afraid...you will be among your kind, here. John and Mike and Rocky are all funny and smart and helpful. One trip here and you'll be "one of them"! read more

Always a great place to find specialized subjects at reasonable prices.

Bolerium is a national treasure if you have any interest at all in books about progressive politics, the labor movement, gay & lesbian, African-American or any other left-wing issues. The bookshop is located on the third floor of a Mission Street building with a paint store on the ground floor, so you need to buzz at street level to get in. But once there, you will wonder why it took you so long to find it! read more

If you collect hard-to-find political ephemera, especially pamphlets, interesting posters and rare left-wing books, there is probably no better bookstore in the country. Secluded in a hard-to-find place above street level in the Mission district, this shop is run by staff who combine extraordinary knowledge with a progressive, even joyful attitude (heavily spiced with humorous sarcasm). American labor movement history is Bolerium's great strength, with significant international material as well. There is a very large (yet not exhaustive!) listing of their holdings on the store's website. You can also sign up for automatic updates about inventory that has been added in categories you want to hear about. An eponymous short documentary about the store was produced last year. read more

Bolerium Books is not for those who feel comfortable at Barnes and Nobel. This is a serious bookstore for serious readers with emphasis on left movements, gay/lesbian studies and other slightly esoteric subjects. It is mainly a non-fiction, non-literary bookshop except as those literary works pertain to a social movement or left cause. They have a huge gay section, probably the best Spanish Civil War collection in North America and extensive collections on radical politics, labor movements, etc. These include lots of ephemera. Their prices are thus understandably a little high--higher than used bookshops but very reasonable compared to the antiquarian domain. All their stock is meticulously entered on their website and ABE Books so you can browse their collection on line. The staff is very, very helpful and knowledgeable. The collections are very well organized. A great place to browse if these are your interests. Note you have to be buzzed in and their hours are not convenient. Wear your IWW badge when you come to visit. read more