Renowned for its diverse selections and its fostering of the then little-known Beat Movement in the early fifties, City Lights continues to thrive in a world full of Amazons and Barnes & Nobles. Its success as a publisher of poetry volumes and offbeat writing collections, and its dedication to San Francisco writers has set made City Lights one of the premier Bay Area bookstores for the literary arts community. Although some of the luster has worn with time, local patrons and city visitors remain loyal to City Lights, which still stands as a beacon for the true "alternative" literary scene.