Lawrence Ferlinghetti, publisher and criminal defendent of Allen Ginsberg's Howl, decided to start a bookstore long before it was merely a wishy-washy fantasy of beleagured yuppies.

Indeed, perhaps it is the ur-bookstore, the Jungian archetype that, unbeknownst to so many over-educated, under-employed and terminally dissatisfied daydreamers is actually the touchstone of their misty vision.

His brainchild, City Lights Bookstore, the revolutionary outpost, renegade press and counter-cultural mecca, has celebrated its 50th birthday. The SF Chronicle has published a special online section with several days of stories, famous photos and archived material.

Dig it.