SF Author Chris Carlsson Brings ‘Hidden San Francisco’ To Haight Street

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Sure, there’s the Golden Gate Bridge, the Painted Ladies, Lombard Street and the sea lions that hang out at PIER 39 in Fisherman’s Wharf – all of which are on tourists’ “must-see” lists.

But San Francisco is a city chock-full of lesser known landmarks, stories and complexities, which author Chris Carlsson excavates in “Hidden San Francisco: A Guide to Lost Landscapes, Unsung Heroes & Radical Histories” (Pluto Press, 376 pages, $19.99).

“It's a guidebook that takes a deep dive into the lost, forgotten and suppressed histories of the city,” Carlsson told Patch.

Carlsson is giving a talk at Bound Together Books this Friday at 7 p.m., during which he’ll discuss features in the second edition of “Hidden San Francisco,” published in April 2025.

In the second edition, readers will find the new preface “In the Wake of the Pandemic,” as well as a new chapter, which he’ll be referencing during his presentation.

“The chapter covers a bunch of ecological treks, hidden treasures of the physical landscape of the city that people often don't know about, even if they've lived here for a long time,” he said.

He’s also added a “mini-history of tech” in San Francisco, including a consideration of ever-present-day artificial intelligence, in the second edition.

Carlsson is a writer, San Francisco historian, photographer and avid bicyclist who has lived in the city since 1978. He's written three other books: “When Shells Crumble”; “After the Deluge”; and “Nowtopia.”

His “Hidden San Francisco” guidebook and the participatory community history project, Shaping San Francisco, go hand-in-hand. The project, which he's co-directed and curated for nearly three decades, includes a comprehensive digital history archive of San Francisco.

“It’s where a great deal of history has accumulated over the years,” he said.

The first edition of “Hidden San Francisco" was published in February 2020.

“I do a lot of walking tours, bike tours and boat tours these days," he said. "Most of it involves telling stories, and I've become a better storyteller [as a result]. Over time, that led to the book."

Bound Together Books is located at 1369 Haight St., San Francisco.