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City Lights Booksellers, San Francisco

4.6

#4 of 66 in Shopping in San Francisco

Historic Site Gift & Specialty Shop

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City Lights Booksellers, a funky bookstore founded by beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, serves as a literary meeting place in San Francisco. Stop in and have a look around this independent bookstore/publishing house established in 1953 and famous for the obscenity trial it faced after releasing Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" in 1956. Located between North Beach and Chinatown, this bookstore became a historic landmark in 2001. You can also shop the unique book collection here, which focuses on world literature, arts, and politics. With our online itinerary creator, San Francisco attractions like City Lights Booksellers can be center stage of your vacation plans, and you can find out about other attractions like it, unlike it, near it, and miles away.

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City Lights Booksellers Reviews

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947 reviews

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4.8

46,267 likes

• By busconi

  This is truly a great bookstore....founded by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter Martin back in 1953, this bookstore is a must visit for any book lover. I love the fact this is an independent bookst...  more »

• By rt113

  A must do for a look at an iconic look into the beat generation. Books you will not find anywhere else. It is easy to spend a couple of hours puruising through their collections. Not for little childr...  more »

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