‘With a government like this, we need our subversive bookshops’
Radical bookseller Housmans celebrates 65 years’ promoting peace and equality
Published: 16 July, 2010
by PETER GRUNER
A RADICAL in the world of commerce, it has survived the recession in the high street, hungry property developers, and the demise of book shops in the wake of the online revolution.
Housmans bookshop in King’s Cross, which boasts the largest range of political magazines in the country, celebrated 65 years in the business with a party for supporters.
Dozens turned up to drink a toast to another successful 65 years – including peace activist Bruce Kent and chairwoman of CND, Kate Hudson.
Housmans was first established in Shaftesbury Avenue in the aftermath of the Second World War, by the pacifist and playwright Laurence Housman.
Housman, a sponsor of the Peace Pledge Union, wanted the shop to promote ideas of peace, human rights and an equitable economy through which future war and all its inherent suffering might be avoided.
Forced to close because of financial difficulties, many of the shop’s functions were passed on to the fledgling Peace News newspaper, founded in 1936.
Later, in 1958, Peace News supporters acquired the freehold of a building at 5 Caledonian Road, which has been the shop’s permanent home ever since.
Albert Beale, a trustee of the building and a member of the Housmans board, said: “Having our own freehold of the building, and not being in it for profit, we have withstood those who wanted to buy us up and shut us down.
“At one time, a few years ago, we were the only shop on this block not boarded up.”
Mr Beale believes the shop is probably secure now. It boasts a popular website, but will always need support and new customers.
Mr Beale added: “About 20 years ago every village in the country had a radical bookshop. Today there are only about two or three radical bookshops in London and a handful around the country.
“With a Conservative-Lib Dem coalition, more and more people are seeking to wallow in our wide range of non-sectarian, alternative and occasionally subversive political literature.”
The shop is regularly used for meetings and book launches and has become a venue for people to meet and debate the issues of the day.
Comments
The Shop Should Be Closed
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2010-07-19 12:39.What a disgraceful article! This shop is an affront to a free and open society. If you take a look at the complete and utter rubbish that is perpetuated by this place. You'll find the majority of literature sold here is extremely one sided there is no balance in any of the arguments. If you take there so called "peace" news that is given away free from outside this place, there is nothing but hate and propaganda. Written by people that glorify the likes of Stalin and Che Guevara, mass murderers. It is a wonder why Hitlers' Mein Kampf is stocked there. Perhaps the true is all to well know about that socialist murderer. It is probably because it is too well know what evils hitler did as oppose to have little people know of the murdering Stalin and Che Guevara carried out that they can even have the audacity to pedal books that glorify these murderers. This place must be run by people that are simply full of hate for human kind and wish nothing but oppression and suffering of innocent people. From the socialist imagery of their street sign to their sick love for anything Marxist. They accommodate anything that praises socialism, a system that is the cause and excuse to murder and suppress free peoples. They are a bunch of silly little English boys and girls who have no idea of what they are praising. Go see the suffering caused by Marxism all over the world particularly now in South America. I am a local resident and I oppose the existence of this shop in my area and I feel misrepresented by my local paper giving this place such a shiny report without a counter view. I am many other residents oppose this shop and to propaganda promoted by this place, we will soon start a campaign to have this shop closed down. It does not serve the local people in any way and in fact does a lot to bring the area down. I hope that this message is shown below this article, as the peace news dare not publish any of my letters to them. Because the cannot admit the true that free people must be free.
"Go see the suffering caused
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 2010-07-23 11:17."Go see the suffering caused by Marxism all over the world particularly now in South America. "
But they never suffered under Pinochet or Batista did they?
Confused?
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2010-07-21 19:06.I think this person is confused. Bookmarks in Bloomsbury is the socialist bookshop. Housmans is the anarchist bookshop.
I hope that's clear.
Free speech
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2010-07-21 11:05.Well we do have a tradition of free speech in the UK so the above comments are welcome. The idea of closing down a shop because you hate it, is not.
If you have ever set foot in the shop you will also see 'propoganda' opposing socialism and in favour of anarchy; I don't believe there is much there praising Stalin (though I've not studied every book on the shelves it is true), there is quite a lot on Christian peace-making, local history, music, poetry, and even a cook book or two! And the idea of anyone associated with the shop praising Hitler is laughable.
For someone who is moaning about the 'hate' in the bookshop, this email is full of hate. You don't speak for this local resident.
Sad really.
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