Russian Hill Bookstore

We recently bought a collection of around 500 vintage comics .... these are some of the more collectible issues :)

New Arrival .... Across That Bridge, SIGNED by John Lewis. 1st Edition, 2nd Printing .... SOLD

Three new (used) arrivals. 1. 1st Printing of Welcome to the Monkey House, published in 1968. 2. 1st U.K. Edition of Valerie Wilmer’s As Serious As Your Life, published by Allison & Busby in 1977.... 3. Live Cinema and Its Techniques, SIGNED by Francis Ford Coppola.

New arrival: a 1st Printing of Promise Me, Dad, signed by Joe Biden.

After an extended wait, Elena Ferrante’s new novel, The Lying Life of Adults, comes out this Tuesday, September 1! Originally slated for a release on June 9, Europa Editions delayed the book’s worldwide publication due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But fans of the Neapolitan Quartet need not wait much longer .... DM, call or email to reserve your copy :)

New Arrival: Post Office, by Charles Bukowski. This is a 1st UK Printing of Bukowski’s first novel, published when he was 50yrs old. London Magazine Editions, c.1974.

We are open for in-store retail We have spent the last five days cleaning and preparing the shop for safe and hygienic in-store shopping. A new plexi-screen has been erected on our front counter, contactless payment is available, hand sanitizer stations can be found at our front door and counter, and we have laid down arrows around the shop to help facilitate 6ft social distancing. Face masks are required, and we have set a limit of 10 patrons in the shop at one time. New social distancing rules can be found near the entrance Thank you so much for all your support and patience .... we hope to see you in the shop again soon

Cleaning and preparing the shop for in-store retail has proven to be a greater undertaking than we originally anticipated. We will be closed through the weekend as we continue to refashion the bookshop for our reopening this Monday, June 15. A huge thank you to @khanithakat for the incredibly cute mural that has brightened our boarded up windows these past few weeks. When the boards come down this Monday, we will be sure to find a permanent place for this mural in our shop

In 1987 Octavia Butler published Dawn, the first book in the Xenogenesis trilogy, an Afrocentric colonialist parable. I remember just kind of being stunned that a black woman existed in the future, because science fiction had not done that before sci-fi writer NK Jemisin. Another possible reason for Jemisin’s surprise: the distinct whitewashing of the original cover art. Though the novels’ protagonist, Lilith, is a Black woman, you’ll notice how the cover of the 1st America...n Printing (c.1987) whitewashed her and another Black character. By the third book (also a 1st American Printing, c.1989) the character’s skin tone has darkened, but the features remain European. The whitewashed artwork is especially dismaying, since Butler’s novella Bloodchild had already garnered her the Hugo Award in 1985. In subsequent printings, these covers were replaced by more accurate representations of the characters. Octavia Butler remains an influential figure in both schism science fiction and Black literature, and is considered one of the greatest science fiction authors ever.

A long awaited shipment of board games just arrived at the shop .... many best sellers and classics are now back in stock!

Russian Hill Bookstore is now open for Curbside Pickup 0ur curbside hours are 11am-5pm daily. When picking up orders or placing orders at our curbside counter, please remember to wear a mask, and please be mindful of six-foot distancing regulations while waiting in line.... Feel free to DM, email, or call for any inquiries/orders. We are also happy to help you at our curbside counter. More puzzles and board games are on order! We are also taking orders for new books again Thank you so much for all of your support!

Preparing for curbside sales beginning next Monday, May 18 .... figuring out methods to expedite greeting card perusal from a doorway. We have over 30,000 greeting cards in our shop. Selection may be a bit more limited for curbside sales, but we are attempting to put together a cardboard slideshow with a good variety to choose from. Thank you for your patience

Thank you so much to everyone who bought Six Foot Social Club totes and tees from @cheeseplus Russian Hill Bookstore was last week’s beneficiary of all Six Foot Social Club sales! A huge thank you to @cheeseplus for creating such a fun and community-centered means of raising funds for small businesses who are struggling right now. Please continue to shop and support @sixfootsocialclub and @cheeseplus