Distributing the Line

Last century, for many of us young leftist a trip to London would include a compulsory visit to Collets bookshop in Charing Cross Road. It was the left wing bookshop that stocked the Left – its newspaper rack seemed to stock every variety that was on the go – and it had international publications, books from Russia, books from China, that were difficult to source from mainstream bookshops. Obtaining radical material was a hit-and-miss affair if you did not subscribe, dependent on the geographical luck of being near one of the under-capitalised independent radical bookshops that pop-up in 1970s/80s.Although associated with the Communist Party, Collets was owned by the Eva Collet Trust, established by Eva Collet Reckitt in 1934 to import communist and radical publications. It established itself at 66 Charing Cross Road, the site of an existing radical bookshop, Henderson's, nicknamed "the bomb shop", on the death of the owner, F. R. Henderson. That shop, founded in 1909, was known for publishing and selling both radical left and anarchist writing and modernist literature. Collets expanded over the years beyond Soviet subsidised editions of Marxist classics and Progress Publisher, material; there were posters, campaigning badges and Leeds postcards and two shops in Charing Cross Road and Collet's Chinese Gallery, on Great Russell St near the British Museum that closed around 1990.

An early support to spread the anti-revisionist message came from Somerset, when New Era Books was set up in Bath in 1965 to publish and distribute 'Whence the Differences', a 349 paged collection of 'Renmin Riabo' (People's Daily) editorials.

The Chinese subsidised the publishing of Marxist classics and the import of these provided the impetus for Marxist-Leninist aligned bookshops in the UK. Although few in number, and none proved commercially sustainable in the changing UK book-selling market, they were mainly associated with specific organisations

An independent run bookshop that introduced many to revolutionary politics was Banner Books & Crafts based at 90 Camden High Street run by a long-time activists G.V.Bijur – as an independent Maoist bookshop in the 1970s. An early story of Bijur was his arrest for selling Mao’s Little Red Book at Speakers’ Corner at Hyde Park. In the early days he slept on the floor in the shop. One time, there were assistants dressed as ‘Young pioneers’ serving in the shop. Another young customer remembers his surprise at seeing that the London bookshop prominently displayed in the shop window a bust of Mao. The shop proved to be a contact point for many visiting Marxist-Leninists to London but did not consolidate its activities in an organisational structure. The shop was destroyed by fire in 1975. A premature obituary that appeared in March 1984 edition of 'Class Struggle' (vol 8 No2) Bijur wrote to its author to thank him for the kind words and said he was happily continuing to struggle in India.

Also active around the movement as an independent specialist publishing project was RED STAR PRESS.

These were London-based printers who were active in the 1970s and 1980s and mainly engaged in producing a multi-volume collection of the writings of Joseph Stalin. Activists from the Mao TseTung Study Group and North London Alliance had an early involvement in the endeavour. Little original material was published as Red Star Press concentrated on re-publishing material favourable to a 1930s Comintern Stalinist viewpoint, such as the transcripts of the Moscow Trials e.g. Report of Court Proceedings in the Case of the Anti-Soviet Trotskyite Centre, January 23-30, 1937 published January 1973 ; Michael Sayers and Albert E. Kahn, The Great Conspiracy 1975 (originally published 1946) with an introduction by Scottish Maoist Tom Murray and Dimtrov’s 1935 Report to the 7th Congress of the Communist International on the ‘United Front re-published in 1975. Beside J.Stalin, a short biography published by Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow 1949, there was a reprint of the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) Short Course, first published 1938.

Published under the title Works the Red Star Press compilation drew upon the labours of communists who had gathered materials for the publication of the Works of Stalin in French provided by Patrick Kessel, and German language editions. In September 2009, the Marxists Internet Archive announced the completion of its project to digitize all of Joseph Stalin's "Works."1 This

1 A MIA volunteer offered this observation:

There are legitimate concerns with the veracity of the translations in the "Works" edition — but those apply equally to the hardcopy or digital forms of the source. In short, the "Works" translations are particularly marred by dishonest deletions of the word "Comrade" throughout. If a person fell under secret police suspicion and was killed in 1937 and Stalin had referred to him as "Comrade" in 1926, for example, that word is dropped in the "Works" edition of the 1950s. Nor are the "Works" articles anything like a "Complete Collected Works" — some material does not appear, and not necessarily for reasons of controversial content. One should always check content and translations used in "Works" to the various incarnations of "Problems of Leninism" when one is quoting Stalin in a journal article — and to the original source in Russian whenever possible.

111 Morning Lane, London E9.

Since redeveloped but original site of Red Star Press operation in early 1970s, associated with ‘New Unity International Press’ of KPD/ML. Before its demise was contacted c/o 4 Ongar Road, London SW6.

includes the 13 volumes officially published by the Foreign Languages Publishing House through 1955 as well as three additional volumes published by the British publisher Red Star Press.

NEW ERA BOOKS 1965- 1993, run by the Communist Federation of Britain (ML) and its successor organisation, the Revolutionary Communist League of Britain, began life in Bath in 1965 to distribute English-language publications from China. Acting as an importer and distributer, a wholesale operation continued from a store-room based in Cambridge. It was not open to the public as such, no regular set hours: student volunteers from the University answering mail and sending out orders, with occasional visitor by arrangement. It was established in a retail environment in autumn of 1974, when relocated

to 203 Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, London N4.

Politically but not commercial related was the Workers Bookshop, 81 George Street, Glasgow G1 [Open daily 10-5 late night Wednesday 8.30] run by the Glasgow Group of the Communist Federation of Britain (ML). Dates around 1974.

By a quirk of fate, the move to London for New Era Books was original for a south London venue near The Oval that fell through, and ended up opposite the Rainbow in Finsbury Park.  The shop, painted red of course, only had a big red star

advertising the premises. It was awaiting a sign writer, when this man came into the shop and asked if the facing was to be done. He painted 'New Era Books' and was paid in cash. Of course, he wasn't the sign writer but his work, with occasional touch-up was there for a good decade or so.

It survived financially on its wholesale sales supplying other groups on the Left and bookshops throughout the country with the beige, plain paperbacks editions of Marxist classics published in China, and other English-language material of Foreign Language Press. Its bank balance was not helped when it absorbed the responsibility for the debt of ‘OctoberBooks' in Liverpool upon fusion of the Communist Workers Movement with the RCLB.

203 Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, one time location of New Era Books 1975-1992. Opposite the Rainbow Theatre music venue, the adjacent petrol station has since been demolished.

Run by a succession of low-paid workers, it was Betty Paterson, who was the unpaidmainstay for 12 years, "retiring" two years before her death in 1990. Betty had joined the CPGB in the 1930s, supported China over the split, and became a mainstay of SACU – Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding - and then joined the CFB (ML). “Betty would arrive early, work until one o‟clock, take off exactly half an hour for a pork pie, an apple, a cup of coffee and a brief read, then get back to work until six” (Class Struggle February 1990).A commemoration of her life was held at Conway Hall on April 7th 1990 with a wide range of speakers, amongst them Derek Byrant (SACU), Nan Berger and fellow Communist Party members from the 1930s/40s. There was a succession of graduates who learnt the trade under her tutelage and who count themselves the richer for the experience. She outlasted a succession of younger comrades, before retiring once again in 1988. New Era Books, under the guidance of veteran communist Dannie Morrell, closed upon completion of its lease in 1992/3. The premises became at first a fish and chip takeaway, later a small general store.

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The Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) opened Bellman Bookshop at 155 Fortress Road, Tufnel Park, London NW5. The premises, former bank on Fortess Road were obtained in December 1967, and on March 16th 1968, Saturday opening begun for Bellman Books.

Bellman Books served as the 'Party Centre' of the CPB (ML). Such premises could act as a meeting place, organising hub, storage and production centre for publications as well as the distribution for political material and political contacts. The 'bookshop' were rung on a shoe-string budget and not set-up as viable businesses even though by the early 1970s the CPB(ML) advertised a number of bookshop throughout England, operating on part-time hours, with full opening hours on a Saturday.  The 'Marxist-

Leninist' stocking policy precluded their development (or survival) as a mainstream bookshop. In the view of one member, who attended meetings at Bellman there, it was:“A dark and forbidding former bank...Overseen by Reg Birch’s wife, Dorothy...She was always spectacularly rude to anybody who ever came into the shop –partly it was because of her abrasive character, but also perhaps she knew the stock to be so dreary that anybody browsing must be a member of the Special Branch or a rival group”

(Alexei Sayle’s Stalin Ate My Homework . 2011)

Other outlets were established by the CPB (ML) including: a stall that sold its pamphlets , amidst the other second hand paperbacks , at Basildon Market Place on Tuesday, Friday & Saturday. More conventional bookshops appeared where branches could support them:

Main Trend Books ~ 17 Midland Road, Old Market, Bristol Brighton Workers Bookshop ~ at 37 Gloucester Road October Books ~ established 1973 at 99 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool 3 CPB (M-L)

Relocated around 1975 to 4b, Temple Court, Liverpool 2. From 1976, run by the Communist Workers Movement, an Ian Williams split from the CPB (ML), before merging with the Revolutionary Communist League of Britain, who took on the shop’s debts. Following this split, Liverpool members loyal to the CPB (ML) raided October Books and seized much of the stock. This exacerbated its financial problems and it did not last for long after that. Closed 1980.

 Late in the 1970s was added Northern Star Bookshop at 18A, Leighton Street, Leeds

Bellman Bookshop was the only one that survived until in closed in early 1990s.

William Hill, the bookies then occupied the site of the CPB (ML) bookshop at 155 Fortress Road, Tufnell Park.

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Still surving into the new century– but advised to ring before visiting – is a bookshop aligned to an Internationalist trend established by Hardial Bains (1939 –1997) in Vancouver, Canada in 1963.

Progressive Books and Periodicals was an internationalist franchise: in Canada, Ireland and England. The first outlet for the English Internationalist in England was at 8 Coombe Terrace, Lewes Road, Brighton run by English Student Movement, later transformed into CPE (ML). In the early 1970s the CPE (ML) had as its headquarters, Progressive Books and Periodicals at 569 Old Kent Road SE1. They moved around 1975 to 172 Wandsworth Road SW8 as the registered address. Sometime towards the end of 1986, they moved premises next door. By March 1987, its newspaper Workers' Weekly was advertising the registered address as 170 Wandsworth Road.It serves as the bookshop of the Albanian-aligned Revolutionary Communist party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) .The Party had taken the Albanian franchise from the CPB (ML) who initially  sided with Albania against China's 'Three World Theory' before realigning themselves in support of the Soviet Union through the 1980s.

There was a short lived bookshop in Birmingham at 229 Rookery Road, Handsworth (opened around May 1980 but doesn’t seem to have been operating after June 1981).

Progressive Books and Periodicals was renamed in the memory of John Buckle after his tragic and untimely death in the Madrid air crash on November 27, 1983. The premises are now the John Buckle Centre. John Buckle came to prominence as a communist and ant-fascist leader in the 1970s when, according to its own account, “the forerunner organisations of RCPB(ML) had played a prominent role in the defeat by mass action of the bourgeoisie’s attempt to develop a mainstream fascist party to attack the workers' and progressive movement.” He came forward to lead the reorganisation of these forerunner organisations with the founding of RCPB (ML) on March 19, 1979. As RCPB (ML)'s General Secretary he led the work of the Party in repudiating its Maoist past until his death in 1983.

Today operating as John Buckle Centre, The National Office of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)  

The John Buckle Centre 170 Wandsworth Road, London, Greater London SW8 2LA

The RCPB ML sister organisation in Ireland, the Internationalists/ Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist)  (dissolved 2003)  had bookshops at 143 Townsend Street, Dublin 2 (opened 1968-1969) moved 1970 to 10 Upper Exchange Street. Dublin (still there in 1976) moved to 25 Essex Quay (near Chapel Street Bridge) Dublin (there in 1988) Bookshops were also established at 11 Castle Parade, Limerick - the centre of a scare campaign by Steve Coughlan, the Labour Party’s Lord Mayor of the city and briefly at : 1 Cattlemarket Street, Ballymacthomas, Cork .

For a comprehensive historical listing of radical bookshops see "The Radical Bookshop History Project undertaken by Dave Cope and Ross Bradshaw. http://www.leftontheshelfbooks.co.uk/images/doc/Radical-Bookshops-Listing.pdf

But any reference to points on the map cannot exclude two addresses known throughout the brief history of the movement in London.

A venue familiar to anyone involved in political life in London ~ Conway Hall, central London. General meeting place for the Left in London. It describes itself as “The landmark of London’s independent intellectual, political and cultural life” and has seen many a political rally, conference and confrontation. Pictured, CPB (ML) rally at Conway Hall against the Industrial Relations Bill 1971

A less well-known venue – that still allows room bookings – is the birthplace of the anti-revisionist movement in Britain.

The Lucas Arms, Grays Inn Road , where “An Appeal to All Communists” was issued by the Committee to Defeat Revision, for Communist Unity in November 1963.