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Christopher's Books

4.7 (134 reviews)
ModerateBookstores
Open 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

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Reviews With Photos

the sign outside Christopher's Books
Janis L.

I adore small local bookstores with calm atmospheres and a diverse selection of books, and Christopher's Books did not disappoint. While smaller than most, they carry a large variety of authors in the science fiction/fantasy literature section, which is admittedly the only section that I perused. They also have stools in the aisles handy for those (like me) who like to sample their books before purchasing. I live in the neighborhood and always stop by whenever I have the chance to see what new books have arrived.

The romance section
Jen T.

What a cute bookstore! They're located right in the heart of Potrero Hill, and they're the perfect place to while away the hours-long brunch wait each weekend. That's exactly what my husband and I did last weekend, and they have a wonderful selection of non-fiction, fiction (including romance!), graphic novels, kid's books, and more. The folks who work there are very friendly and knowledgable. Glad to have a local bookstore like this one!

Cute little bookstore. We walked around while we waiting for our table to be called at Cracked and Battered.
Diana S.

Very cute little bookstore we checked out while we waited for our breakfast reservation! Reasonable prices which are rare to find for a neighborhood bookstore. They will even gift wrap your purchases. I bought a SF neighborhood guide that I love!

suzuka w.

If you are looking for a cozy, friendly neighborhood bookstore, this place is where you should visit. It has good selections for books and many new/feature books have commentaries provided by the owner which is a very nice touch. Be sure to check this place out when you are in the area!

The shelves at Christopher's Books.
Rachel H.

Tiny little gem of an independent bookstore. What it lacks in selection (it is postage stamp small) it makes up for in service and in curation. In this charming, corner Victorian storefront, you will find almost every other book they feature is something you might want to haul on out of here and into your home library. I found myself still in their frequent reader system after several years out of town (do these files never get purged?!?) making me feel almost like a local again.

Kenneth B.

I love small independent bookstores, and this one is quite small. Great browsing spot - I walked away with a graphic arts book on fonts...because it looked interesting (and it was). Great little neighborhood on the hilltop, with Mac Daddy and other restaurants right across the street.

on the corner of 18th Street at Missouri
Geri S.

Delightful neighborhood bookshop - this is a perfect fit and filled with gems. Congratulations on your 25 years and thank you for the celebration! We had a grand time with you all this evening with the BEST cookies and wine...tacos and It's Its...and great music! Thank you!

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

Friendly service with helpful recommendations based on your preferred authors. Pop in and add to your home library!

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

Customer service is amazing. it's a small cozy neighborhood spot with a wide selection of all the latest and greatest.

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5 years ago

Great little bookstore, it was hard to walk out without bancrupting myself! Staff seem friendly enough.

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4 years ago

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Ask the Community - Christopher's Books

Review Highlights - Christopher's Books

Super helpful staff and nice selection for an independent book store.

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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

City Lights

4.4(816 reviews)
2.5 miChinatown
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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.

Photos
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)
1.4 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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Medicine for Nightmares - Front counter

Medicine for Nightmares

4.3(82 reviews)
1.1 miMission
$

Support Independent Bookstores! They are a valuable resource. This bookstore has been our local…read morefavorite ever since Alley Cat Books had the building. The current owners hosted our nephew's High School Spoken Word event, inside the rear gallery/event space. That being said, it is sad to report that the current manager/owners are rude. It's a very passive-aggressive type of rude. They seem to not want to talk to customers. Any eye contact is the evil-eye variety that reads: "what are YOU doing here?" I felt like I'd crashed a party where the hosts were angry at me just for showing up, and trying to get me to leave ASAP. Recently, I was paying at the register, and I attempted a friendly comment on the jazz record they were playing ("Charles Mingus, right? He's the coolest!"). No response; 50-yard stare like I wasn't even there. Gimme your money and leave. Too bad, because it's a great space, good selection of new/used books. But I'd feel gross handing over any more of my hard-earned money.

This establishment prides itself as a "community friendly" space yet I, a Latina native San…read moreFranciscan was not greeted kindly in this store. They are in a predominately Latino neighborhood yet I felt judged in there. Probably performative activists that work here but I'd rather give my money to a large corp where at least their friendly with me than this independent bookstore.

Photos
Medicine for Nightmares - Outside

Outside

Medicine for Nightmares - Books on religion

Books on religion

Medicine for Nightmares - Art gallery

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Art gallery

Christopher's Books - bookstores - Updated May 2026

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