The San Francisco Bookstore That Went to Court for a Poem & Proudly Displayed Banned Books

The Legendary City Lights Bookstore

Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin founded City Lights Bookstore in June 1953 at 261 Columbus Avenue in San Francisco. It instantly became a symbol for literary freedom and free thought in the US. Here are some amazing facts about this tiny but mighty legend.

First All-Paperback Bookstore in America

City Lights was the very first all-paperback bookstore in the US, at a time when bookstores were selling hardcovers.

Ferlinghetti and Martin were inspired by European bookshops which carried paperback versions of quality literature. City Lights started with just 500 books from publishers like New Directions and Grove Press.

Made $1.80 on its Opening Day

City Lights sold their paperbacks cheap, between 25 cents and $1.50. On its first day, the store made only $1.80 according to Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s records.

By 1955, just two years after opening, City Lights was selling over 5,000 different paperback titles.

A Home Base for Beat Writers & Poets

On October 7, 1955, Allen Ginsberg first read his famous poem “Howl” at City Lights. From then until the 1960s, the store hosted over 120 gatherings of Beat writers.

Many of them were late-night meetings at the store’s basement, nicknamed “The Cellar.” The store became so well-known that Jack Kerouac mentioned it in three of his novels, including “Big Sur.”

Was Hit with an Obscenity Lawsuit Due to a Poem

City Lights Bookstore faced an obscenity trial in 1957 after publishing Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl.”

Co-founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti and manager Shigeyoshi Murao were arrested for publishing obscene material after undercover San Francisco police officers bought a copy of the poem at the store.

It was eventually ruled not obscene due to its “redeeming social importance.”

Has a Dedicated Section for Banned Books

True to its history of fighting censorship, City Lights has a special shelf for banned books. A lot of them were books deemed “obscene,” such as “Naked Lunch” by William S. Burroughs, “Tropic of Cancer” by Henry Miller, and “The Love Book” by Lenore Kandel.

There’s an FBI Index File on Ferlinghetti

Ferlinghetti and City Lights Bookstore are mentioned in a document over at the FBI Vault website. Ferlinghetti was noted as an “avant garde poet” with a bookstore that “caters to the beatnik trade.”

Named After a Charlie Chaplin Movie

Co-founder Peter D. Martin, then a 22-year-old sociology student, suggested naming the store after a silent movie. The film was Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights.” It was reportedly Chaplin’s favorite of his own movies.

Someone Once Slept on Bubblewrap Inside City Lights

One of the strangest things to happen at City Lights occurred on a Tuesday night in November 1998. A 28-year-old tourist from Michigan snuck into the store through a back door on Kerouac Alley.

She slid down a 15-foot chute that workers used to move books between floors. Then she made herself a bed using about 50 square feet of bubble wrap.

Staff found her the next morning and called police but didn’t press charges.

The Kerouac Alley

The pedestrian-only alley runs between the famous City Lights Bookstore and Vesuvio Cafe: both hangouts for Kerouac and his fellow Beat poets.

It was dedicated to Jack Kerouac in March 2007 by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Aside from colorful murals (including Kerouac’s), it also has engraved cement panels with bilingual passages from writers such as Li Po, Confucius, Maya Angelou, and John Steinbeck.

Became a Historic Landmark in 2001

In 2001, City Lights became San Francisco’s first business to be named a historic landmark, a distinction usually reserved for buildings.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously for this on June 18, making it Landmark No. 228. A plaque was added to the building in October.

How to Get to City Lights Bookstore, San Francisco

You can visit this famous bookstore at 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA, inside the North Beach neighborhood.

Don’t forget to drop by the Vesuvio Café, a historic bar frequented by Beat Generation writers and artists.

City Lights is also near The Saloon, one of the oldest bars in San Francisco. Once you’ve had your fill of the bookstore, explore nearby Chinatown, Pier 39, and the North Beach district, aka “Little Italy.”