City Lights Booksellers & Publishers

Category:	Book Store
Address:	261 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
Phone:	+1 415-362-8193
Site:	citylights.com
Rating:	4.6
Working:	10AM–12AM 10AM–12AM 10AM–12AM 10AM–12AM 10AM–12AM 10AM–12AM 10AM–12AM

Location

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Leaflet

Photos 100

Reviews 9

Thomas Chee

As a young teen, my little brother and I would spend hours each week at City Lights Bookstore. While living in the Northern California town of Santa Rosa, my brother would beg me to take him to City Lights on the weekend to find fascinating books for class reviews, reports, and high school assignments while he attended Montgomery High School. City Lights inspired us. City Lights had all the answers to our literary questions long before we knew of Poe, Wilde, Kerouac, and Leo Tolstoy. City Lights made us want to read. The books introduced us to the authors. So we drove three hours to San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge in traffic only to return to Santa Rosa on a busy Sunday in holiday traffic along the hectic Highway 101 for one simple reason – City Lights. Sound crazy? My brother was an intense student! Now decades later, I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, but take my friends, visiting relatives, and young eight year old son to City Lights upon entering the City of San Francisco to inspire him to read. As soon as we fly in, we drive to the corner of Columbus and Broadway to learn about the writer, publishers, respect the publisher’s journey, find out about journalists, new book writers, and to learn as T.S. Eliot reminded us in his essay Tradition and the Individual Talent, "Someone said: The dead writers are remote from us because we know so much more than they did. Precisely, and they are what we know." T.S. Eliot insisted the dead writers are that which we know. But how would we be introduced to them if not for the founders of special places like City Lights? I can speak for myself, I would know nothing if it was not for the inspiration of bookstores like City Lights in San Francisco. Those books energized us. The authors became our mentors. Lessons learned are that which I know because City Lights taught me so much. Each time I visit the San Francisco landmark, I come away with an important light. I wish, I hope, my eight year old boy learns lessons from City Lights. I hope when we visit from Las Vegas he always comes away with something from City Lights visits the way his uncle and father came away with important literary inspirations.

Sebastian Sadan

I used to love this store but recently had a frustrating experience. the employees were not at all helpful in finding a book that I had called hours in advance to hold. When I asked if they could hold it for me the man on the phone was rude, and was very reluctant to hold it because he said the store had at least 10 copies of "M Train". When I got to the store after traveling an hour from my house the lady at the front gave me 3 vague options of where the book could be. After not finding it in any of those sections I asked another lady downstairs for help who was by far the most rude, impatient and also couldnt find the book. After not being able to find it the lady at the front literally told me that 10 copies "could have disappeared" since they got the shipment a month ago. The employees I dealt with were all rude and incompetent at worst, or irresponsible for losing 10 copies of a book at best. Green Apple Books in the inner sunset had copies of the book and put it on hold for me without question, I will be shopping there from now on. Id recommend city lights for the historical experience, but avoid it if youre looking for a specific book.

Sadhbh Warren

A real bibliophiles paradise, City Lights is a lovely spot to linger as you pick out your next book. There are little signs encouraging you to read and chairs so you can do so in comfort. The store is notorious for its ties to the Beat writers but its not just poetry and American literature you will find there; the sheer size and breadth of the catergories covered mean there is something for everyone. Most people will probably more find books in a quick browse than that they can comfortably afford - or carry! The highlighted Staff Picks are an excellent option for those of you who, like me, get overwhelmed and excited by the sheer amount of options! Its gloriously labyrinthine without feeling over-crowded and the upstairs Poetry Room is a lovely oasis in San Franciscos bustle.

Becky Chen

I have fond memories of growing up surrounded by bookstores and hiding myself away in the shelves of them. As much as I also love online shopping and ease of delivery, I do miss bookstores, so its such a gem to find this one in San Francisco tucked away on a busy street. Its not the typical mainstream bookstore. Its a small store, though it has three great floors, with a rustic and historical feel to it. Just walking in made me feel like Id discover something great hidden away in this store. Theres so much personality to the store. The stairs going down are creaky, the bookshelves are wooden, and if you look closely theres just a lot of little things to find from interesting posters and photos, to notes and reviews. Definitely visit.

Kenneth Wong

If youre a bookish traveler passing through San Francisco, you should make a pilgrimage to City Lights Bookstore, the surviving spirit of the Beatnik generation. Filled with literary titles from basement to attic, the place exudes poetry and literature. Whereas Barnes & Nobles and other chain stores are highly commercialized, City Lights has the inviting atmosphere of someones private library or a neighborhood bookstore (only a lot better stocked than a typical neighborhood bookstore). Located right on Columbus Avenue, it sits at the intersection between San Franciscos China Town and the Italian neighborhood. The bookstore could be a reading intermission between your dim sum lunch and pasta dinner.

Simon Platt

I ended up here because I was trying to find a good angle of the Trans American Building but Im glad that I stumbled into this store. Ive never been into a more warm and welcoming place to buy books. It wasnt a spectacular large space but it felt cozy because everything was so tight nit and interwoven. Book shelves werent over six feet so the space felt open and lively. Not to mention that they had about every single category of literature which made turning the isles fun because I would run into more categories of books. Overall a very nice experience.

j spain Greene

The excellence of City Lights does not rest on its past. Certainly it has an excellent history, but that alone is not enough to make it relevant today. Showcasing independent and unusual publications today is an art, its a calling. I appreciate that City Lights gives me a window into cultural things I might not find on my own. Finding wonderful staff that are friendly, unpretentious and enjoy helping you discover new things is a huge joy and bonus. Worthy of your dollars and support, especially right now!!

Tillie Lavigne

After discovering this gem about five years ago this remains one of my favorite independent stores in the city.Not only is the store layout intricate and the book selections stellar but the face has some great offerings, too.Im obsessed with their mixed greens salad and iced mocha. The last time I was in here, I was eye-stalking James Murphy from Sound system as he perused the aisles with his gorgeous wife.If you want to have some indite star sightings this is the place you want to be.

Dom Siroros

A bit overrated IMHO. May be Im not the poet guy I think the staff were not friendly at all. They have collection of some philosophy and poets but not much about other topics. Very limited on the topic about Jazz music. And very limited selection of cook book. Staff certainly has some "I couldnt care less" kind of attitude. Almost feel like the didnt even like having customers in there. I travelled across the world to this place with high hope but came back disappointed.