Radical Pamphleteering in the UK Today
The following article about radical pamphleteering and the small presses who do it appeared in issue #228 of Black Flag. We reprint it with the kind permission of the author. For a small selection of the pamphlets AK Press distributes, you can click on any of the images below. For a complete (and, I warn you, very long) list of our pamphlets, go here.
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Radical Pamphleteering in the UK Today
By Ade Dimmick
In the world of libertarian publishing there exists what could only be described as a cottage industry of small press publishers. Publishers who are independent of any organisation, group or federation; who specialise in publishing pamphlets, mainly of a radical and historical nature, which, in their own estimation, are of relevance to present-day workers and revolutionaries.
In the main, they are self-funded and operate on a not-for-profit shoe-string budget. Their pamphlets are usually short-run and are relatively inexpensive to purchase.
The word pamphlet, as we know it today, was first used in the 14th century to distinguish a short booklet from a book. The word originates from “Pamphilus, seu de Amore,” which describes a Latin poem published in this format in the 1100’s.
The invention of the printing press saw the pamphlet develop into a medium for topical issues of a polemical and propagandist nature, both radical and agitational, which could be published on a large scale and distributed accordingly. American Professor of History Bernard Bailyn wrote in his work The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (1967):
“It was in this form—as pamphlets—that much of the most important and characteristic writing of the American Revolution appeared. For the revolutionary generation, as for its predecessors back to the early sixteenth century, the pamphlet had peculiar virtues as a medium of communication. Then, as now, it was seen that the pamphlet allowed one to do things that were not possible in any other form.”
However, I much prefer the description given by George Orwell in his introduction to British Pamphleteers Vol.1: From the 16th Century to the French Revolution (1948).
“What is a pamphlet? Is rather like asking ‘What is a dog?’ We all know a dog when we see one, or at least we think we do, but it is not easy to give a clear verbal definition, nor even to distinguish at sight between a dog and some kindred creature such as a wolf or a jackal.
“The pamphlet is habitually confused with other things that are quite different from it, such as leaflets, manifestoes, memorials, religious tracts, circular letters, instructional manuals and indeed almost any kind of booklet published cheaply in paper covers.
“The true pamphlet, however, is a special literary form which has persisted without radical change for hundreds of years, though it has had its good periods and its bad ones. It is worth defining it carefully, even at the risk of seeming pedantic.
“It is written because there is something that one wants to say now, and because one believes there is no other way of getting a hearing. Pamphlets may turn on points of ethics or theology, but they always have a clear political implication. A pamphlet may be written either ‘for’ or ‘against’ somebody or something, but in essence it is always a protest.”
There are those around who believe that the printed word is all but dead, and who place great emphasis and faith in the “online revolution.” One of the founders of libcom.org, an online libertarian communist resource, stated in an interview last year with Freedom, the fortnightly anarchist paper:
“Some of us tried print publishing but we became frustrated with the medium. With online publishing we could slash running costs, attract a massively increased readership, remove the pressure of deadlines and to allow all content to remain published permanently. Using the web also means that people who might never see an anarchist publication can stumble across articles on our site.”
He went on to say that the site:
“Is a constantly expanding online resource that seeks to promote working class self-organisation through publishing news, theoretical texts and historical articles. In the last year, site traffic has risen from 40,000 visits per month to over 100,000 and there are now 2,600 active users. The site contains over 7,000 articles ranging from brief reports to full books and has recently seen a major upgrade.”
When it comes to revolutionary propaganda, the dissemination of radical thought and the exchange of information, who can disagree with such figures? Even as a “traditionalist,” I have to applaud the efforts of all those involved at libcom.org, and other anarchist websites, for providing a fantastic resource for research, news, information and communication with fellow revolutionaries.
On the other side of the coin, however, I believe, along with many others, that print is a long way from dead. People still like to sit down and read a pamphlet, book or magazine; whether it be on the train or bus, or simply relaxing at home. Likewise, imagine a world without bookfairs!
Consideration should also be given to those who do not have access to the internet, those who are simply not IT literate, as well as those who can’t afford a computer or those whose lifestyle and/or social circumstances don’t permit such luxuries.
This cross-section of society amounts to hundreds of thousands, if not millions in this country alone, and billions worldwide. I also believe that there is a certain degree of arrogance and ignorance on the part of a sizable section of the computer-generation of revolutionaries.
They have known nothing else. They have grown up in an IT-orientated world and simply accept that everyone else is in the same boat as themselves, without thinking very much about it.
On Dan Bricklin’s website, bricklin.com, the co-founder of VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet, wrote: “To me, the pamphlet is analogous to the personal website. It can vary in size and is controlled by the author.”
This comment provoked some interesting responses which also warrant consideration. Chris Daly, a Professor of Journalism; referring to pamphleteering, and its relationship to countries today where the internet is used for purposes of would-be political insurrection stated:
“The pamphlet was preferred by the rebels because it did not provide any target for retaliation by the Crown. This was in contrast to the more established printers.
“Typically, the printer owned his shop, his press, his tools and all his stock. If he antagonised the Crown, they knew just where to find him, and the king’s agents could easily shut him down. The hit-and-run, anonymous pamphleteer, on the other hand, was almost impossible to find and, thus, to stop.”
Likewise, in the early part of the 20th century, anarchists and revolutionary socialists regularly had their presses closed down by the authorities, along with numerous commercial printers, who allowed their presses to be used for printing material deemed to be “seditious.”
How easy then, would it be to close down subversive websites? In recent years there have been numerous examples of the authorities and service providers closing down websites they didn’t like, in particular, so-called pirate music and movie sites. I’m no expert, but I imagine it is almost as simple as flicking a switch or pulling the plug out! Another example of the State’s power, for instance, is how countries like China, Saudi Arabia and Cuba control internet access.
Another contributor to Dan Bricklan’s website wrote:
“We have a much better chance of being able to read some of those pamphlets 200 years from now than we have of being able to read any of today’s personal websites at that point:
“*Pamphlets had large printings (compare even 1,000 paper copies of a pamphlet to a website that exists on only one server)
“*Paper is a durable, autonomous material (compared to a website that depends on the existence of an organisation to support its server, to say nothing of the possibility of datawipe (accidental or intentional)
“*Paper and ink are and were a stable, autonomous technology (compared to a website that is inaccessible to roughly everyone in the absence of a particular technological base).”
Another aspect of the printed word is the agitational tool of physical propaganda it cannot be beaten. Likewise, you can never replace that feeling of excitement and eager anticipation, when the latest newsletter, pamphlet or periodical drops through the letterbox; and from a publishing point-of-view, you can never replace that feeling of satisfaction, creativity and sense of achievement when you hold the finished item.
I would like to end by appealing to readers, to give their support to the small press publisher. The printed word and the “art” of radical pamphleteering must be kept alive—it is a revolutionary tradition that cannot be allowed to die.
Factfile: Radical Publishers
[The following profiles take a brief look at the small press radical publishers and their activities]
Past Tense Publications
Past Tense Publications was founded in 2001, and is a publishing project based in South London, specialising in the radical, subversive and working class past. Their publishing remit is focused mainly on the London area, but, they have recently cast their publishing net further afield. They state: “We see our interest in history not just as an academic exercise divorced from our own time, but as relevant to current struggles and including our own experiences.” Titles published this year include: A Glorious Liberty: The Ideas of the Ranters, by A. L. Morton in which Morton recounts the ideas, activities and fate of this anarchic and heretical 17th century sect; and Symond Newell and the Kett’s Rebellion: Norfolk’s Great Rebellion against Enclosures, by Peter E. Newell. Author Newell, is a descendent of Symond Newell, one of the leading personalities involved in this revolt which took place in 1549.
Hobnail Press
Hobnail Press was founded in 2003. Publishing essays and extracts from the work of 19th century and early 20th century freethinkers and radicals, Hobnail Press believes that “reclaiming the past is the key to building the future.” Hobnail Press also specialise in republishing the works of anarchist-communist Guy Aldred (1886-1963). This year Hobnail Press has published three titles by Emma Goldman: The Philosophy of Atheism, The Failure of Christianity and Prisons: A Social Crime and Failure. A number of other pamphlets are also in the pipeline for 2008. They also publish Hobnail Review.
The Kate Sharpley Library
The Kate Sharpley Library is named after a First World War anarchist and anti-war activist. As well as publishing a phenomenal number of pamphlets, primarily on anarchist history, the library is one of the foremost anarchist archives in the world. The KSL published their first pamphlet in 1992. Recent pamphlets include: Rebellious Spirit: Maria Occhipinti and the Ragusa Anti-Draft Revolt of 1945, which features details of anti-fascist and anti-draft resistance in wartime Italy; and Salvador Puig Antich and the MIL (Movimiento Iberico de Liberacion), a look at the Iberian Liberation Movement and the life and death of activist Salvador Puig Antich.
In the Spirit of Emma
In the Spirit of Emma is linked to Active Distribution. In the Spirit of Emma, however, is an imprint in its own right. It was launched following the tragic death of Emma Cray, who was killed in a road traffic accident on 14th September 1995. They publish a wide range of anti-authoritarian and anarchist pamphlets. One of their recent pamphlets is Marriage and Love & Jealousy: Causes and a Possible Cure, which comprises of two short essays by Emma Goldman.
Black Cat Press
Black Cat Press was founded in 2007 and was born out of the Anarchist Open Forum. They specialise in freethought and secular texts. To date they have re-published Pagan Christs and Christianity and SlaverySlavery Ancient & Modern by Terry Liddle. by, catholic priest turned radical atheist, Joseph McCabe; and
A vast array of worthy pamphlets are also published by other groups and organisations, such as the Anarchist Federation, Solidarity Federation and the Anarchist Black Cross, as well as the larger anarchist publishing houses; but these are not counted here as small press publishers.
For booklists and further information:
Past Tense Publications, 56a Info Shop, 56 Crampton Street, London, SE17 3AE
Hobnail Press – c/o 84b Whitechapel High Street, London, E1 7QX, UK
Kate Sharpley Library, BM Hurricane, London WC1N 3
In the Spirit of Emma, c/o Active Distro, BM Active, London WC1N 3
Black Cat Press, c/o 84b Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7Q