Seeing the Light

When I choose a book, the quirkier the better (if it’s any indication, my favorite book of all time is about an elderly Vietnamese national coroner with psychic abilities). So, not surprisingly, Chapters doesn’t always cut it.

Enter City Lights Bookshop.

(photo courtesy of City Lights Bookshop MySpace Page)

 
Located at 356 Richmond Street (just south of King Street), City Lights has been around since the 1970s. When you walk in the door, your gut reaction will probably be, “it sure smells that way.” But don’t let the mildew throw you off: this place has one colorful history, and I don’t mean the 25,000 titles it’s acquired over the years.

City Lights Bookshop was founded by Marc Emery, Canada’s Prince of Pot. This is the political and pot activist who, during his time in London, fought against the London Downtown Business Association’s mandatory beautification fees and was arrested for selling copies of 2 Live Crew’s federally banned rap music video, “Me So Horny.” Imagine that spirit captured in a bookstore: think diverse taste and a wry sense of humor.

It’s comfortingly claustrophobic, stacked floor to ceiling and in every nook and cranny with the most unique and idiosyncratic collection you will ever encounter. There are books, magazines, DVD’s, CD’s, records and even some adult fare. There are comics, quotes and handwritten notes taped to the bookends, and step ladders à la Beauty and the Beast littered throughout the aisles. It’s like something out of Harry Potter (which yes, for the record, I have read and reread in its entirety… don’t judge me).


(video courtesy of the London Free Press)

Somehow, and believe me I’m as surprised as anyone, this doesn’t translate to schizophrenic clutter. It may be unorthodox but this place is strangely commonsensical. As a compulsive neat freak, my personal favorite is that the Coles Notes have actually been shelved alongside their corresponding books.

So drop in and take a look for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

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