City Lights Booksellers and Publisher Review

Quaint multi level bookstore with super helpful staff. Felt like something out of Harry Potter! Reading is encouraged. Can spend hours.

Great selection of fiction and non-fiction books. I could easily spend a whole day here.

Charming bookstore with lots of personality. No hassles with some quiet places to sit.

"The free soul is rare, but you identify it when you see it: basically because you feel comfortable, very comfortable, when you are with them or very close to them."

Love the place as soon as I step inside! I want something like this in Bangkok as well.

Classic. Don't forget to head downstairs for film, music, politics. And get a t-shirt. Iconic. Worth the trip.

City Lights is more than just a bookstore. I wish I had more time in the city. I would've spent it here.

-Great variety of books
-friendly employees
-lots of chairs to sit and read
-also has magazines and music
-organized
-aesthetically pleasing

It is a book store which has maximized it's space without it feeling cramped. I thought it offered a wide range if selections even if they were higher prices than other more traditional book strores.

It is an interesting store for books.

Amazing collection of books. I could ve spent all day here deciding on what to read next.

Beautiful and furnished bookshop, specialized in counterculture and alternative genres

An institution. Full of hard to find titles as well as bestsellers and their own publishings. Be prepared to spend some time here.

Amazing cozy bookstore, great staff, a crapload of books. What more can you ask for?

Thousands of books, from contemporary to classics. A must go if you're a book lover.

Everything a New York literary person hopes one day to see. It's real! And worth the visit.

Fabulous bookstore, full of rich history. Three levels of books. You could spend hours here very happily.

Nice independent bookstore, good selection of nonfiction.

Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti echo through the shelves. Loved it here

This place is incredible. A whole section for "Commodity Aesthetics"?! I'm in heaven.

This iconic North Beach book store is a San Francisco institution.

I'll absolutely be back here. It's such a relief to be surrounded by books in today's saturated age of technology. City Lights is a small bookstore, and pretty cramped, but in a cozy way. You lose the craziness of North Beach and can easily just dive into the world of books. Great selection, and I found the staff suggestions to be a helpful guide when I wasn't searching for any title in particular.

Even on a crowded day, I enjoy this place and their staff so much I have to stop in.

If I lived by a bookstore like this I would probably buy more books from them however I don't and therefore Amazon gets all my business. Book stores like this are fading fast and the historical perspective of this place is nice it's interesting it was nice to look at but that's about it. Outside of that it's just books.

City Lights is local, extremely friendly, has decent seating areas, and is very welcoming.

Never have I been in a bookstore before where I could sit down and read an entire book at ease without feeling the pressure of buying a book.

We had a great experience during our visit to City Lights. For their size, they have a good selection of fiction, and I found their staff to be friendly and helpful.

Very unique bookstore three levels lots of interesting books you should go and pay the visit.

Great bookshop, made a pilgrimage to the states from my Radical bookshop in the UK and wasn't disappointed, great selection of fiction, politics and poetry, some beautiful street art in the alley next to it too.

Great place for souvenirs. A tad pricey but they have fun stuff and friendly staff.

Beautiful place, it feels like a trip to the past and the different floors are incredible, from the best bookstores I have visited. Yes prices are expensive

Historic bookstore and heart of SFBeat poet enclave. Still a wonderful shop to wile away some time among s huge selection of wonderful and eclectic books.

Hands down the best book store in San Fran, you won't find it loaded with new NY times bestsellers, only quality books, a lot of fiction and European literature, the basement has all the non fiction and too floor is dedicated to poetry, the employees read and make a small talk about the books you buy, absolute must

From revolution to environmental catastrophe, from love to octopus intelligence. Poetry, essays, novels and insanity. Too many books to ever capture it all in a google review. Get there now.

Deliciously behind the times. There's no loyalty info collecting modernized database POS systems. There are quiet corners and brick layered cavernous rooms lined with books smelling of... books. There's chairs and benches to tuck into away from the chaos and chacophonics of North Beach's busiest intersection. I love it. You might even catch the eye of some other unplugged in cutie and perhaps have a moment of connection.

A quaint bookshop, but I come from Portland, and we have Powell's, which is much more eclectic and this shop was only a candle compared to their bright sun.

Not many bookstores like this any more! The staff ratings are very useful in working through the walls of shelves.

Amazing place, so much to see even just around the building.

Still thriving institution! The many staff picks with descriptions made it hard for me to choose just one book. Enjoyed visiting an independent bookstore and getting a good reminder of all the great writing being done and grabbed a vacation book. If you didn t pack any reading on your trip- go grab something!

I know it's the bay area, but the Economics section is pretty laughable. Ranges from left to far left. Otherwise good selection though.

It's the place!
Truly a mecca for all book geeks
Great selection
Great memorabilia
And in a picturesque location

I can't wait to go back and buy more books, they have an impressive collection!

I have to tell you I truly hate this place, it is impossible for me to large this store without buying like $150 worth of books every time. There cookbooks section is insane. The people that work there can be a little quirky but they're always helpful. They have a great kids section, and offer an overcurrent selection of fiction.

Those who love literature and art must go to the holy place

You can feel the history at this store... Good selection of fiction and non fiction... I loved the 2nd floor poetry room... Some of the employees could be a little LESS pretentious, however. I asked 2 people about a book I was considering. They answered, "the book is amazing" .. when I asked a follow up question, they admitted that neither one had read the book... This is NOT what I expect from City Lights.

Great selection. Fun to just walk around and browse

It is an independent bookstore that began in 1953, and the book sits firmly in the building. The book is where the owner is. Art, and world literature. If you like books, you should visit them. It is a place where San Francisco has become a cultural foundation and birthplace.

A fine bookstore with a rich culture behind it. If you're a bibliophile or even just want a quiet place to hang out and browse some books, this is a nice place for you.

Books of every ilk, fiction and non- fiction, Beatnik writings, international and national, politically and socially conscious, Alan Ginsberg's Howl, etc. Lawrence Ferlinghetti's push ro make us think!!!

I truly love this place. This is my favorite book store in the city and I come here at least once a month. If I had a blog, I would totally blog about this place. The selection is great, the cheap books outside are fun to look through, and if you are looking for something specific, I have found the staff to be very helpful. I feel like when I see someone with a strand bag, I think they are automatically cool.

The City Lights Bookstore is one of the greatest icons in San Francisco. Every time I go there, I find an interesting book or publication or something new that I enjoy. The whole staff and community there is very kind and helpful and there is always something new to learn at the bookstore. There is also a great sculpture outside

Historical library .. born in the beat generation period

A delightful, honest bookstore in the middle of a big city. Will definitely visit again if I'm ever in town!

Full of books, but the interior space is small and oppressive.

I love City Lights Books. They staff could be more welcoming and friendly

Interesting book selection with an expected beatnik author options. Old school book store with chairs for browsing. European fiction section

Awesome Indy bookstore. Amazing selections. Don't expect Barnes and Noble. Think of Changing Hands or Powell's. Fantastic

I want to read every book in there and I don t even like to read

A must visit. The City Lights name is a nod to the Charlie Chaplin film. The bookshop was responsible for publishing Allen Ginsberg, Charles Bukowski, Noam Chomsky and the likes. And the densely packed weaving bookstore is a joy of literary discoveries. When you've made your purchase, walk 10 seconds to the adjacent Vesuvio Cafe where you can start reading while sipping an Irish coffee amid Kerouac memorabilia.

A favorite spot when visiting the city. A real old style bookstore that invites you to browse.

Interesting selection of literature, not your average book vendor

very close place and a lot of people. the books they were looking for were not.

A unique world treasure. A literary shrine. A must see in this wonderful city

The bookstore is nice, the staff very incompetent and unhelpful. I phoned them to ask about a book copy I was very interested at. They confirmed me that they have indeed a copy. I made all my way with heavy luggage (I had just landed in San Francisco) till there only to find out that they did not have a copy. Apparently they forgot to delete it from the inventory. Too bad experience for me. Previously, the girl at the reception/cash had sent me to the downstairs floor to look for myself the book with the heavy luggage and without any help or indication. I did not find it of course...neither they did.