Quick answer
City Lights Bookstore is an independent bookstore and publisher in North Beach, San Francisco, founded in nineteen fifty-three by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin. It became famous after publishing Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems, and it was designated a San Francisco historic landmark in two thousand one. Visit the Columbus Avenue storefront and browse poetry, politics, and world literature.
Full transcript
Founding the Storefront
City Lights began as a tiny storefront in the triangular Artigues Building on Columbus Avenue, founded in nineteen fifty-three by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin. The shop specialized in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics, and it self-identifies as part of North Beach even though the map places it beside Chinatown. Ferlinghetti had come to San Francisco hoping to paint, but the city's hills and fog pulled him into publishing instead. The shelves are narrow, the light is warm, and the air smells like paper and old ink. Stand near the front window and look for the building's angled corner, then pick up a poetry chapbook from the table nearest the door.
Howl and the Trial
The store's fame arrived with Howl and Other Poems, published in nineteen fifty-six. Allen Ginsberg read the poem at the Six Gallery, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti heard it there, then offered to publish it. When police raided City Lights and arrested clerk Shigeyoshi Murao, Ferlinghetti turned himself in too. The obscenity trial drew national attention, and the American Civil Liberties Union helped defend the book. That moment made City Lights more than a shop: it became a place where literature could be dangerous, funny, and public. Walk to the poetry section and find the shelf where Howl sits, then read a line aloud in a low voice.
Landmark and Living Publisher
City Lights became an official San Francisco historic landmark in two thousand one, and the Artigues Building is still its home. Later staff shaped its character: Paul Yamazaki joined in nineteen seventy, Nancy Peters joined in nineteen seventy-one, and the bookstore bought its building in nineteen ninety-nine. The shop remains a working publisher, with the City Lights Foundation publishing titles related to San Francisco culture. The aisles are crowded, the posters are faded, and the poetry section feels like a small public library that refuses to be quiet. Look at the Artigues Building near the entrance, then step inside and find the poetry section to choose a book to carry to the counter.