City Lights Booksellers & Publishers

City Lights Bookstore and Publishers was founded in 1953 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin and remains at 261 Columbus Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood. It served as a central gathering place for Beat poets and published Allen Ginsberg's Howl, leading to a 1957 obscenity trial over the book's publication. City Lights continues to operate as an independent bookstore and publisher.