City Lights Bookstore: Everything You Need To Know About This San Francisco Icon
📚 City Lights Bookstore: Everything You Need To Know About This San Francisco Icon 🌉
🏰 A SHORT HISTORY OF CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE 🏰
Founded in 1953 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin, City Lights Bookstore started as an all-paperback shop, a groundbreaking concept at that time. It soon expanded into publishing in 1955 with Ferlinghetti's collection of poems, "Pictures of the Gone World," which marked the beginning of the Pocket Poet Series.
📖 City Lights gained national attention when it published Allen Ginsberg's "Howl and Other Poems" in 1956. This decision led to an iconic obscenity trial, resulting in the exoneration of the bookstore under the protection of the First Amendment. The store's logo, a medieval guild mark, was chosen from "The Book of Signs" by Rudolf Koch.
🏛️ Situated between North Beach and Chinatown, the triangular building that houses City Lights Bookstore has a fascinating history. It survived the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires, and was originally owned by the Artigues brothers. Eventually, it became City Lights' permanent home. In 2000, after renting for 45 years, the bookstore purchased and renovated the building for earthquake protection, solidifying its status as a cultural bridge in San Francisco.
🗒️ THINGS NOT TO MISS AT CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE 🗒️
1️⃣ The Main Room:
- 📚 Explore a diverse collection of fiction in both paperback and hardcover, including works by authors from around the world.
- 📚 Discover City Lights publications, biographies, art books, anthologies, and more.
- ✍️ Admire the hand-painted signs by Ferlinghetti throughout the store, conveying powerful messages like "Free Speech Zone" and "A Literary Habitat for Humanity."
2️⃣ The Poetry Room:
- 📜 Ascend to the Poetry Room, which was once the residence of Henri Lenoir, the founder of Vesuvio, a neighboring bar and popular Beat hangout.
- 📜 Immerse yourself in an abundant selection of poetry and Beat Literature, featuring works by Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and others.
3️⃣ The Basement:
- 🕳️ Uncover the basement's intriguing history, where Ferlinghetti expanded the store after discovering a hidden space that was once used by a Chinese electrician.
- 🕳️ Browse through an extensive nonfiction collection, including world history, music, Native American studies, health, psychology, Asian classics, and cognitive science.
- 🕳️ Explore the well-curated children's collection.
- 🕳️ Observe remnants of the building's past, such as the brick arches from the 1906 earthquake and biblical phrases left by a former Christian group.
City Lights Books remains an authentic bookstore, preserving its unique character even after 70 years. Don't miss the chance to visit this iconic San Francisco landmark at 261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94133. They're open daily from 10 am to 10 pm.
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