Books About San Francisco

Countless books have been written on San Francisco, a rich source of historical and contemporary knowledge available to anyone with interest in our city's storied past and why it has become what it is today. Most are available for free through the public library system.  New titles are being published and sold every month.  The collection pictured below (click to Google) is thus anything but comprehensive, serving only to whet your appetite for the literary San Francisco feast that awaits you.  They are divided into the following eras: 1800s and earlier, Early 20th Century, Post-WWII to the 20th Century, & General (that is, titles that cross the aforementioned eras).

1800s and earlier: Think Ohlone people, Father Junipero Serra, Yerba Buena, Gold Rush, Manifest Destiny, Barbary Coast, Vigilance Committee, Big Four, and the Spanish-American War.

Early 20th Century: Think earthquake and fire, Angel Island Immigration Station, Panama Pacific International Exposition, Golden Gate & Bay Bridge, Hunters Point & World War II. 

Post-WWII to the 21st Century: Think SF Redevelopment Agency, Manhattan-ization, Haight-Ashbury, Summer of Love, Harvey Milk, Bill Walsh, Dot-Com Boom & Bust, and gentrification.

General: These titles ended up in this section because their stories span chronologically across the eras delineated in the previous sections.