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Bolerium Books

4.6 (22 reviews)
ModerateBookstores
Closed 3:00 pm - 3:15 PM

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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9 years ago

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9 years ago

Business owner information

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John D.

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14 years ago

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12 years ago

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15 years ago

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15 years ago

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15 years ago

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8 years ago

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11 years ago

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11 years ago

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7 years ago

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

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8 years ago

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12 years ago

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9 years ago

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

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17 years ago

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17 years ago

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19 years ago

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16 years ago

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Ask the Community - Bolerium Books

Review Highlights - Bolerium Books

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.

Mentioned in 2 reviews

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City Lights - The staircase leading upstairs to the main floor.

City Lights

4.4(816 reviews)
2.5 miChinatown
$$

One of the neatest bookstores in the US. The Poetry room upstairs is wonderful. So much fun…read morehistory here to learn about. And this bookstores has some amazing staff book recommendations with little tags on the bookshelf telling you why they loved that book so much; found some great new finds that way. Dont forget to get your books stamped with their bookstores stamp on the way out!

An amazing bookstore and so glad I asked chatGPT to give me some ideas for a stroll around SF near…read moreUnion Square. Well, ok, this place isnt close to Union Sq, about a mile away, but it was a perfect delicious end destination for a post dinner stroll! I like bookstores and I like eclectic, unique ones. I'll go to Barnes & Noble if I had no other choice, but my favorite bookstores are independent ones and ones where they carry very unique books you can't find elsewhere. This bookstore made my inner little nerdy self so happy. I immediately got lost up front looking at very recent publication by Ai Weiwei. I then wandered onto the main floor and found an entire section of Asian works, which you will not find at B&N. I also found books from Norwegian writers too which I had never seen before, which thrilled me. I then made my way up to their attic floor which is dedicated to poetry and seems I just missed Allen Ginsberg's Howl centennial celebration. Ugh! I then came back down and then proceeded to their basement section and again I was quite pleasantly surprised by the depth and breadth of Asian themed books they had. They had plenty of the Chinese classics in English and found so many different versions of Journey to the West, I was completely overwhelmed. And then, saw an entire section on Africa and I had to fight hard to not pick up a copy of a book titled Prison Letters, which is a collection of Mandela's letters while imprisoned. I ultimately settled on two books by Ai Weiwei as he has continued to inspire me to be proud, to not conform, to be brave, to speak up, to be authentically and unapologetically me, to honor my ancestry and to push boundaries and to fight for what matters. And it just so happens too that my Chinese give name is also Weiwei. I loved coming to this bookstore and it will definitely be on rotation for me when I am in SF again.

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City Lights - Downstairs

Downstairs

City Lights - The upstairs location of the bookstore.

The upstairs location of the bookstore.

City Lights - The bottom floor that you have to go downstairs to.

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The bottom floor that you have to go downstairs to.

Dog Eared Books - Interior

Dog Eared Books

4.3(322 reviews)
0.3 miMission
$$

While visiting the city of San Francisco came across Dog Eared Books and decided to stop in to see…read morewhat they had to offer. The bookstore was small and pretty busy with customers reading and selecting books to purchase. I walked around the bookstore to see what would catch my eye and they had so many good books to choose from. Walked over to their clearance section and found two books that peaked my interest. Ended up purchasing, the portrait of Dorian Grey and animal farm. They we're both a steel at a discounted price. These two books were on my list of books that I've been wanting to read, and now they have been added to my personal library. The employees here are welcoming and friendly. They are also very busy, keeping the store while organized and appealing to the eye.

The coolest bookstore I've ever been to!…read more My friend and I were on a mission for books to add to our "to-read" lists, and found this really cool store via google. It's nice to see small business bookstores doing so well, because it was really busy here! I wish we had more businesses like this where we're from. Small inside, but room to navigate around. I loved the Staff Picks and science fiction sections the best. There's also a decent fiction selection as well. At check-out, we ended up getting 4 books each! So there are some really great finds here. We'll definitely come back! This was such a fun shopping experience.

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Dog Eared Books - Come on in

Come on in

Dog Eared Books - Inside (2/2/25)

Inside (2/2/25)

Dog Eared Books

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Christopher's Books - Outside

Christopher's Books

4.7(134 reviews)
1.2 miPotrero Hill
$$

Bookstores come and go in San Francisco. This bookstore located in Potrero Hill has been around for…read moredecades. This bookstore location became famous in the movie "Sweet November". The Charlize Theron character lived Nextdoor on the same block as the Christopher Bookstore (featured in the movie). Inside there a good selection of variety of books from different perspectives. The decor has a feel of historic and modern San Francisco. This bookstore has a diverse book collection that are insightful and creative A bookstore is great for tourists, transplants and even for a San Francisco native

I LOVE small bookshops! This one on the corner in Potrero Hill (SF) is adorable! We hadn't…read moreplanned on it, we had dinner at the French Restaurant across the street. ( Chez Maman -also sublime ). Anyway, after dinner we decided to check out Christopher's Books. . It was kind of busy for a weeknight, which is so cool. Love that people like to peruse books, actually feel books in their hand and turn pages. you are my people. So I walked the whole book store, they have a tiny children's section, my sister who is a teacher, and a new grandma , settled there and bought a few books. I saw a book that I had heard about (All Fours) and heard the author interviewed on the radio, I picked it up and settled on it. I love that they have little handwritten cards describing some of the books and that there are employees picks, and what they liked about the book. When we went up to make our purchases, that is when I learned of Jimmy Carter's death. ( he had died that day and I hadn't yet heard ). There was a little handwritten card with his books at the counter and the card said, Jimmy Carter - 1924-2024. I said, "Oh my God did Jimmy Carter die?" We chatted about what a wonderful man he was, dignified, honest, his service to the people, the Habitat for Humanity legacy. His love for his wife who had preceded him ..... I digress. Anyway, if you're in the neighborhood, and you love books, and quaint spaces, check it out!

Photos
Christopher's Books - Inside

Inside

Christopher's Books
Christopher's Books - The sign outside Christopher's Books

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The sign outside Christopher's Books

Bolerium Books - bookstores - Updated May 2026

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