bound together anarchist collective bookstore

Absolutely in love with this place the first time I stepped in here. There’s so much anarchist and propaganda books/​zines I would like to read! I love how they also provide recommendations within the zines I picked up about other literature to stay informed on other related topics in Media Studies, the Labor Movement, Feminism, and Economics. My go-​to place when I visit the Haight area.

I really enjoyed this little bookstore for its great selection in books, zines, and other readables. The only thing I found disappointing and which might prevent me from returning was the multitude of Bradley Manning merchandise. I inquired about it and was told that they may have Chelsea manning stuff online, but the staff didn’t seem concerned by the trasphobia that they were displaying and engaging in. This is disturbingly common among activists and I had hoped Bound Together books would be different. I was wrong.

This is definitely a really cool little bookstore. They have a ton of books that are actually worth reading and will feed your brain, not unlike 50 Shades of Grey Porn and Twilight Vampire Shit. If you have ever been a part of any punk scene, ever, this is a good place to go. It pretty much is the real-​life equivalent of the bookstore from the movie «The Anarchist Cookbook». They have a cover sample of the book tacked behind the register, but they don’t carry the book itself. So don’t ask.
If you’re the type of person that loves supporting local business, this is the perfect place for that. It’s all volunteer-​run so no one gets paid to work there. That’s all the more reason to support them in my opinion. They have managed to cram a lot of cool stuff in this store, including photo books, poster books, fanzines and more local authors than you can count. This place is like a buffet for your brain.

Who doesn’t like a good bookstore? They carry many great selections of self published and uncommon books. Their emphasis on anarchy and counter-​culture is definitely an eye opener. Makes you realize how many great things there are to read out there. I found a zine about the resistance of the lower class tenants in the SF tenderloin during the 80’s. It’s called «I Work The Tenderloin» and it’s really fascinating to read history written by local people. This is probably one of the few places to find such things. It’s run by volunteers and I believe some of the profits of select books go to sending reading materials to prison inmates. If you’re gonna buy a book, you should buy it here.

I stumbled across this bookstore while perusing the Haight. If you are not offended by left wing, anti-​religion, anarchist ideals, then this is the place for you. I enjoyed their selection of local author’s pamphlets, and their book selection is definitely adequate for the store size. It’s definitely a place to visit at least once while in Haight/​Ashbury.

Would love to go in, but it is certainly not wheelchair accessible. Whoever put in the business description that it is should contact me and explain how I was supposed to get into the store when I tried to go there yesterday in my wheelchair.

Stumbled onto this small niche because we got off at the wrong bus stop. Almost too comfy, friendly, and homey for an anarchist bookstore. Great selection and prices too boot. Will be getting off at the wrong stop more often now.

Bound Together is a little shop with a pretty good selection of political books of a left wing variety.
Obviously, the books tend to reflect the store’s anarchist politics, though they do carry a variety of far left books. The best thing about this store is that it has to be the first place to carry whatever new PM Press books have been released, so you can pick them up almost right away.

Totally love this book store. Every time that I go to San Francisco I buy something from this book store. The last time i went here I bought a couple of zines and a beautiful copy of Dharma Bums. I need to go back…

I love this place because they had sooo many different works of surrealism on their bookshelves. Yay!
They have new and used books on so many different topics, tons of zines, and very helpful people working there. Usually it’s hard to find radical stores with friendly customer service but Bound Together actually has both.
This place is fun to stop in an explore while you’re in Haight and Ashbury. It’s one of the last remaining places in Haight that’s actually still radical. I’m into it.

I really dug this place. New and used books, familial, zines everywhere, weird finds. I came here to get one book for a gift for a friend and came away with two new books, a copy of the Cunt Coloring Book, a lockpicking guide, and a brief booklet explaining cannibalism in christian history. Highly recommended for all of your vulva-​artwork needs!

I’ll admit it’s hard to find an independent bookstore that I don’t rate highly, but this one is particularly interesting. Take a look around, you’re sure to find something stimulating that you never would have read otherwise. Cool that it’s run by volunteers.

Excellent book store for when you want a departure from corporate-​run havens of middling thought. I’ve always found great zines and books here each time I’ve visited – nothing I could’ve found back home.
As for the physical location: The shelves are well marked and the selection is current and topical. It’s a small shop, but ultra-focused…you can get your «Tuesdays with Morrie» somewhere else.
I love that they don’t take credit or debit cards.
The first time I dropped in, an artist who was part of the collective (I think a glass blower?) was explaining the bookstore and some basic anarchist principles to a fellow customer. I overheard the exchange and found it to be so open and humane; such a contrast to a sea of militant confrontation-for-confrontation’s-sake that does more to limit the growth of good ideas rather spread them (there’s a time and a place for confrontation). The artist’s patience with us neophytes was endearing and helped me see how anarchy could be a beneficial social and economic structure compared to a heavy-​handed corporate state.
The last time I visited was a hugely different experience. The store was being watched over by a trio of too-​cool-​for-​school kids, one helpful, one ultra-​snarky, and one totally checked-​out. Instead of wanting to stay and look through the zines for a gem, I grabbed the book I needed, dropped some cash and tried to get out as quickly as possible. Based on the way we were looked up and down on entering, I’m pretty sure they decided how they would act around me and my partner based on the fact that we weren’t dressed in the proper subculture drag, and that’s a real shame. I had no idea there was a velvet rope to the free distribution of information.
Hopefully, next time I go will be more of the old school, because this place is too wonderful to give up on.

There are magazines and quarterly scholarly publications on all types of political thought I can only find at this location. You can’t even find some of this books, poetry, history, and alternative thought online. You have to understand how the distribution of alternative press works and then you see how limited your world view can be if you depend on commercial establishments for your information.

I realized that part of my less-​than-​ecstatic view of SF was not because of the city, it was one of those it’s-not-you-it’s-me kind of things…
For the past 4 yrs I’ve been driving everywhere and although I have the ability to explore places further from my neighborhood, I have been forgetting about the wonderful things one can discover on the way somewhere. Someone close to me keeps reminding me that it’s journey, not the destination ;) and it’s true. I’ve been walking home from work lately and the path takes me right through Haight. I forgot how much I love walking at night, how unique SF architecture is, how open and colorful the people are in this city. With my (at times) morning and evening walks, I’ve fallen back in love with SF.
One of the treasures I discovered was this quaint bookstore. It’s fairly small, but here it’s about the quality not quantity. There are a lot of indie magazines and journals and radical literature. This is actually half the reason I docked a star; I’m not a fan of communist propaganda and extreme view in any direction (something about coming from the USSR that just makes me think communism isn’t as good as it sounds…). The other reason is that they don’t take credit cards. Cash only people.
Still, one particular section of books stole my heart. I literally opened my mouth in awe. Their $ 5 and under books are the best of the best and budget-​friendly.
I bought:
Fathers and Sons, Turgenev: $ 3.50
This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald: $ 3.50
The Metamorphosis and other stories, Kafka: $ 2
The Necklace and other short stories, Maupassant:$ 2.50
I’m going to go ahead and skip the part where I say my satisfaction is priceless. BUT I will say I am tickled at my new buys. Also, it came to a little over $ 11 with tax and I had $ 12 only, it was meant to be I say!

I love Bound Together.
I love that it carries books that I would have to special order many other places. I love that it’s a radical, worker-​run collective. I love that they put on the Anarchist Bookfair every year. I love the space and how it feels like a secret clubhouse for Anarchists. I love the selection, and the way it is organized by subject matter (makes it so easy to find new books or authors!). I love that everyone is helpful, if not totally organized. I love the ‘zine selection.
I pretty much love that this place exists.

I love Bound Together bookstore, they have all the classics in all areas of politics and even some literature classics. It’s a small store so they don’t have piles of books but you can stay there reading for a while on one of the chairs.
Then you can walk down Haight and see the Gap, & Wells Fargo and how they are fucking up the character of the ‘hood along with the dumb yuppies moving in left & right.
They should toss out Ben & Jerry’s too since they went corporate! I’m sure there’s a StarCrucks there by now as well.
Bookstores like this are what are keeping some people from slipping into complete complicity, stupidity complacently, and total subservience to «authority».
F U cops.

alright, i’m also biased as i am also a member of the collective in addition to being a customer. I won’t address anyone else’s comments since tedster and dave did that very well… but i couldn’t help telling the world why i dig bound together…
i love that this bookstore exists and i love being a part of it. i love that we have a wide range of radical literature and that the people who are part of it are real, down to earth folks of many, many walks of life. I feel that as far as the anarchist/​diy/​radical community goes, that bound together is very accessible and non-​intimidating, which is super cool since that means that housewives and street kids and bike messengers and tourists all get treated with the same amount of respect and open mindedness… no one needs to prove themselves here. I think that because of this, people are fairly comfortable asking questions and learning more about anarchism and radical movements and issues, or just more about things they are interested in. Indeed, this is why I decided to be a part of it almost four years ago.
also, FYI, there is an anarchist discussion group every thursday evening and Bound Together also sponsors the anarchist book fair every year in the spring. You can learn about both of these events (and get readings) at

Cool place, but if they’re so into anarchy, why do they sell books for money & have hours of operation? I mean, shouldn’t we just be able to break in anytime we want & take whatever we want?
I just think it’s ironic to label your BUSINESS as anarchist.

This is a extraordinary resource shop for anyone interested in learning about underground movements, anarchism, community projects (i.e., Prisoner’s Literature Project), self-​publishing and zines.
At first glance, it’s a bit dingy but teeming with information about controversial, subversive, leftist literature. Why is this a good resource? Well, in all honesty, it’s all of the literary voices you don’t hear in the mainstream and it’s an interesting venue for literature to begin with. The location is fitting (Haight Asbury District) and it’s wickedly progressive.
Since it is a volunteer based organization (all workers are strictly volunteering to run the store) and it’s not high tech. Much of what you would find, you look for. Then again, you wouldn’t want it to be, it would lose it character and essence.
DISCLAIMER: Just because I give this place 5 stars doesn’t mean I lean to any left or right side of politics. I just like that there is a bookshop that gives a voice to people other than the Internet (because, not everyone has a computer)!