Books | San Francisco Historical Society

HISTORY BOOKS

The San Francisco Historical Society stocks a plethora of historical books about the city for our members.

About the Book Collection

In addition to our regular publications, the San Francisco Historical Society offers several books that are available as a members exclusive perk for those at the Mr. Sutro, Twin Peaks, and Mt. Davidson membership levels. Below is a list of books that we reserve only for members.

Book Inventory

Walking San Francisco on the Barbary Coast Trail

by Daniel Bacon

Daniel Bacon’s definitive guide to the trail through the historic heart of San Francisco (2nd Edition, 2002).

Frisco: A Novel

by Daniel Bacon

Daniel Bacon’s noval set in historic San Francisco.

California Style: The Joe Koret Story

by Reed Bunzel

Reed Bunzel’s story of Joe Koret, who overcame a childhood of poverty and hunger in New York City to found the iconic Koret of California after a move to San Francisco. Never forgetting his humble origins, he dedicated his fortune to helping the downtrodden in the Bay Area and Israel. (Hardcover, 2018)

North Beach: The Italian Heart of San Francisco
by Richard Dillon

Historian Richard Dillon’s lively history of “a self-sufficient mile-square Italian village” in the middle of the city of San Francisco. Illustrated by previously unpublished photographs by J. B. Monaco, the “dean of North Beach Photographers,” from the 1880s to the 1930s (Hardcover, 1985, out of print).

The San Francisco Civic Center: A History of the Design, Controversies, and Realization of a City Beautiful Masterpiece
by James Haas

Originally planned and designed by John Galen Howard in 1912, the San Francisco Civic Center is considered in both design and materials one of the finest achievements of the American reformist City Beautiful movement.

Nothing Seemed Impossible: William C. Ralston and Early San Francisco
by David Lavender

David Lavender’s biography of William Ralston, founder of the Palace Hotel and the Bank of California, as intertwined with the story of San Francisco immediately after the Gold Rush. (Hardcover, 1975/1981, out of print).

Note: Due to age and past storage conditions, the paper jacket is very delicate and may have tears and other cosmetic issues.

Mystical San Francisco
by Frederic Larson

See man-made beauty and the wonders of nature intersect in brilliant photographs by award-winning San Francisco Chronicle photographer Frederic Larson, illuminated by the prose of Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Herb Caen. (Hardcover, 2005).

When the Water Came Up to Montgomery Street: San Francisco During the Gold Rush
by Charles A. Fracchia

SFHS Founder and President Emeritus Charles A. Fracchia’s book telling the story of San Francisco from 1848 through 1859 (Hardcover, 2009).

The San Francisco Century
by Carl Nolte

San Francisco Chronicle reporter and columnist Carl Nolte’s fascinating examination of the San Francisco story from the 1906 Earthquake to the first years of the twenty-first century (Hardcover, 2005).