The Booksmith

One of my favorite bookstores in the city. They carry a variety of titles, it’s always well organized and clean, and they have some cool events. Love to support a neighborhood spot.

I absolutely love The Booksmith! Right when I walk in I feel at home. It’s not too crowded and everything’s very easy to find. I love how they have little written recommendations from the workers there on most of the books. It’s like a helpful second opinion if you’re not to good with talking to people. The only problem with this place is that every time I walk in I can’t help but buy something new. I recommend stopping by if you’re ever on Haight

Came in here he other day looking for some summer reading. I was impressed by the diversity of the books here, but the thing that I loved the most were the staff recommendations posted on small slips of paper taped to shelves around the store. They were funny, informative, and really helpful – exactly the kind of guidance I was looking for. Walked out with a Haruki Murakami novel and will definitely be back.

The best book place in San Francisco. I completely love this book store and stop in every time. I usually find 7 books I like the second I step foot in this place. I have so much fun in there and a plus is, they sell my favorite candles in the world aka FrostBeard Candles. I have an obsession with this bookstore, my family hates when we pass it because they know I can spend hours in there easily.

I have been a customer at this store for many many years. So I am shocked that the last few times I have tried to go inside I am greeted with very loud Rap or Hip-​hop music (?). It is so loud that it is impossible to spend any time browsing in the store (many other customers
are of the same opinion) At this point I will go elsewhere from now on. You guy’s (owner) have
really destroyed what was once a wonderful store. You are idiot’s

Honestly the best bookstore I have ever been in! The store itself was super cute. There’s a really wide selection of books in basically any genre you could imagine. They also sell these cute little pins/​buttons for $ 2! The workers are also super nice. I love this place.

Reserved two signed copies from Yann Martel and Rupi Kaur’s events here and the process was as easy as pie! Ended up staying in the bookshop for a while and picked up some more copies and some pins too! Lovely bookshop very close to Golden Gate Park and I will be coming back soon to peruse through their books once again!

I came here this evening to see the poet and photographer Rupi Kair who is the author of Milk & Honey. (Which was amazing by the way, 100+ showed up and the signing had to be split in two different readings/​signings because there was so many people. It was so great meeting her and hope she comes back again soon.) Prior to this event, I have never been to this book store. It is rather on the small side but it is very well laid out and each section in the book store is very well organized and labeled with the type of genre the books are, which can sometimes be a hassle to find. From what I could see, they had a large variety of books and the staff seemed to very helpful and kind (even in the late hours). Overall a great little bookstore on Haight street. Parking can be rather tricky but street parking isn’t impossible to find if you look hard enough.
Special thanks for Rupi Kaur tonight, I really enjoyed her readings tonight & meeting her. She is truly a beautiful person and out and hope the city of San Francisco will see her again soon!

I don’t get to browse many bookstores. There aren’t many left except in big cities. To be honest, I’m a big ebook reader myself.
But I was in the Haight today, needing a book, and this place has been somewhere I’ve browsed before and really liked it, so I went there, and sure enough, they had exactly what I needed (actually multiple copies, so the buyers are smart — I like that).
Btw: It was Go, Dogs! Go! The greatest f’ing book ever written.
Well, Undressed to the Nines ain’t bad either. That guy is a pretty smart writer.
But, anyway, I love this book store. I wish I could buy more actual books (I don’t have the space) but I love this book store and give it 5 stars +++
And it’s in the Haight. Dude… I was here in the 70’s… I mean, I was a kid, but still, it sounds cool to say.

When I first moved to the City I lived near here, and came to really like this store and the staff. There is always something new to see, lots of fun items as well as great books. The staff is always helpful and welcoming.
A great place in the ‘hood!

I received an illegal robocall on Oct 7, 2015 about an event taking place at Booksmith.

A cute, well-​organized bookshop with all the best titles in addition to some you may have never heard from.
Among the bookshops in SF, this one and Green Apple top out the list for me. In addition to stocking all sorts of titles, with personalized little notes from the Booksmith staff, they have some amazing author signings and readings if you pay some close attention to their schedule :)
The staff are friendly, and it’s nicely situated right in the Haight so it’s a pretty convenient and fun location when you’re on s thrift shop kick

This is really the best book store in the city. The people who work there are so knowledgeable and friendly they always have great recommendations. They also write mini reviews for the books that are wonderful. My favorite place!

This has to be one of my favorite bookstores. The variety and quality of postcards and cards was a pleasant surprise. Loved the selection of books and games. I wish I had been in town long enough to go to an event.

Right in the heart of the Haight, is this awesome, very original bookstore. In the days of Kindle and big box stores like Barnes and Noble, it is so much fun to shop at a unique, one of a kind bookstore. It took a while for me to actually get to shop here. I made the effort to go one night only to find a piece of paper taped to the door saying they had closed early. Bummer! I don’t love the street, but it was worth it to come back.

Such a pleasure to read and buy books in a real live bookstore. Booksmith, green apple and city lights are my favorites. iPad and all digital devices, step aside today. I am going to read an actual book and let my mind roam and the pages soar. As an information technology knowledge worker that is mostly wired, I say, «how refreshing». How stimulating.

The Booksmith is what a bookstore ought to be.
Over the years, we’ve said goodbye to too many independent bookstores. So when visiting Haight-​Ashbury, The Booksmith caught my eye right away as I got out of the car. I walked the neighborhood, grabbed a snack, snapped a few pictures… and ended up at The Booksmith as a grand finale.
It’s been ages since I felt this way in a bookstore. I saw books that I hadn’t thought of in ages… Naked Lunch… Richard Brautigan… and the newest by Alice Munro (which I tucked under my arm to bring home). Staff picks invited browsers to read mini reviews and recommendations and pick up something new. Of course there were calendars, games, and fun little «things» at the register… but Booksmith knows what it’s about, and readers will love it.
I’m making a return trip just to focus on the children’s books!

Best bookstore in town — go there for recommendations or lterary events.

Stopped by after brunch at Sparrow Bar and Kitchen
There’s something about the smell and feel of books. Great selection of books, ambiance enhanced by numerous skylights. They have something for the whole family. Right on with their book recommendations.

The Booksmith is great! I found it one day while looking for a picture book that no bookstore seem to have, but they did. The place is fun and it’s impossible to enter and leave empty handed.
Love books? Buy them at a independent bookstore, not from Amazon.

Awesome store. The staff puts recommendation slips throughout the shelves with their favorite picks– this isn’t atypical of bookstores, but Booksmith seems to have a lot more.
They also sell Cards Against Humanity, Game of Thrones Board Games, etc. Always a bonus in my book!

Booksmith is a long-​established bookstore in the Haight.
When I attend the Word Tasting Tour event yesterday evening the store was packed. Mostly young people who were literary inclined, the crowd was strewn on the worn tile floor cheek to cheek.
The event had a touring group including the Minimalists from the Midwest, a musician and a handful of authors.
Standing there listening to the entertainers, I thought this must be like how Berkeley in its heyday must have been. Community gatherings to enjoy the spoken & written word. Fabulous!

Loved this bookstore on Haight. They had the book I was looking for and my daughter found the hard cover, color Scott Pilgrim she wanted. The lady that checked us out knew a lot about comics. Great atmosphere. Eclectic selections. Helpful staff.

This is my favorite bookstore in SF. My second favorite is Green Apple in the Richmond. I have actually gone into Green Apple and walked out with nothing on a few occasions. I have NEVER WALKED OUT OF BOOKSMITH EMPTY-​HANDED.
Why? The store is extremely well thought out and well-​curated. It’s a nice size but the varying amount of interesting subject matter and the quality of the books within each of those categories are unmatched by any other bookstore I have been to in the City. Want the latest, most excellent popular science nonfiction? They have it. Need the best translation of Heidegger’s Being and Time? Yup, that too. These guys and gals do their homework!
Above all else their music book section is the most robust. I suppose Booksmith’s Haight St. location is a lot of the reason behind this. There’s something about having all of the physical copies of books at your fingertips that gets lost shopping online. There’s a reason paper books continue to thrive. There’s just damn nothing like a brand new book. Sure you could buy it on Amazon, probably for cheaper, but Amazon still is unable to duplicate that experience of in-​person shopping, buying a book and sitting down with it at the coffee shop next door, no matter how short their delivery time window is.
Booksmith has so many good books I often have to cross the street AWAY from their front door while walking down Haight because I always, always buy something when I walk into this place, whether it’s an awesome magazine, a classic, or a brand spankin new release. Booksmith, please stay on Haight forever and ever.
PS– Also a great place to catch an author reading, and their list of guest authors shines. Caught William Gibson here a few times and it was great.

Loveeee this place, I could have spent hours in there. Love their selection of books, as well as all of their little gifts and toys. I bought a canvas pencil bag with the original cover of The Great Gatsby on it, so awesome. Employees are friendly, and cheerful, always a great thing. The kids section was also cool, they had the original Le Petite Prince, in french! Support The Booksmith over any other corporate bookstore, they deserve it! =)

Another fun independent bookstore in SF!
Plenty of books, magazines, and interesting gifts in here.
I ended up with a book for a 1 year old. Can’t wait for him to see it (and his parents will read it to him, I’m sure).
Prices = moderate
Service = friendly.

I can’t go to a place like this and leave empty handed. Love that they have best sellers but also local authors and quirky coffee table books. Free gift wrapping for the holidays and warm, knowledgable staff. Nice place to browse on a Sunday afternoon after brunching at Sparrows next door. I dig it! I’ll be back :)

Go you, little bookstore. Keep on truckin’.
(I don’t know. Any excuse to use the R. Crumb phrase he made so very popular right here in the Haight.)
In this Amazon-​dominated world where even big boxes like Borders have lost their shirts, it’s comforting to find good, clean, independent shops like the Booksmith still in business. The whole space pervades with the glorious scent of new books.
They had quite the selection of titles on loads of interesting topics. I was particularly interested in their graphic novels section, which was excitingly loaded with a majority of books WITHOUT Marvel or DC’s logos emblazoned on the sides. While I do have a few bones to pick with those publishers and read their comics all the same, I’m pleased to see The Booksmith has many more indie labels, giving other voices more of a chance to be heard.
Applause for the girl ringing up my order who gently handled my books and asked what sort of bag I preferred since some people prefer their comics in flat ones. I’m not a huge collector, but I do like keeping my things in good condition.
As I was making my purchases at the counter, picked up a card for an event they’re hosting: San Francisco’s Premier Literary Erotic Fanfiction Competition. «6 Great Writers Destroy 1 Great Book — Shipwreck: Ruin Good Things» with the work of choice this road being Stephen King’s «Christine.» One of the «criticisms» of the event on the back of the card read: «Come if you are high on marijuana cigarettes and have done sex before.» Happening this Thursday with an open bar. Wish we could make it up there for it. I mean, Dad was a big King fan, after all.

This is a bookshop made of dreams. They have the best window display ever — Game of Thrones and other fantasy related books on display with some awesome banners and dragon toys. My eye caught the «Game of Thrones Colouring Book» and I knew I must own it.
I asked the shop assistant where I could find it and she helpfully pointed me to the area called «Books in the window» — embarrassing for me, but she wasn’t even snarky about it. Great chat, good prices and fabulous displays. This is my kind of shop.