The following booksellers are members of the Alliance:
56a in London is a volunteer-run, 100% unfunded DIY-run bookshop and social centre in Walworth, South London. http://www.56a.org.uk/
Active Distribution is a well-known GB based, DIY/grass-roots and not-for-profit punk and radical literature distributor.
http://www.activedistribution.org/
AK Press and Distribution based in Glasgow not only publishes anarchist texts under their own imprint, but also distributes and sells a range of anarchist and related books, magazines, pamphlets, journals, t-shirts and badges. http://www.akuk.com/
Andrew Burgin based in London is an internet-based seller of political ephemera, providing an as wide as possible collection of graphic and ephemeral material from the political and social struggles of the last 50 years. http://www.andrewburgin.co.uk/
A Sceptic’s Bookshelf is an online shop which aims to bring you a versatile selection of books which represents a wide range of cis-women, Trans men and women, LGBTQIA+, Non-binary persons, and Disabled persons, in many different genres. Especially genres which are over represented by cis-men.
https://www.asbookshelf.co.uk
Aye-Aye Books in Glasgow is an art bookshop with radical intent. We carry a range of books about art and by artists, particularly small-run and self-published titles, alongside books that look at the theoretical, social and political context. We have many books about radical thought and movements, left-wing and anarchist politics. We have magazines and journals, zines and pamphlets, experimental fiction and poetry, locally produced CDs, vinyl and cassettes, multicultural children’s books.
http://www.aye-ayebooks.com
Back To Books in Birmingham aims to provide a platform for diverse voices, with a focus on queer, feminist, anti-racist and Birmingham-centric titles. The shop can be found at Red Brick Market in Digbeth, and there’ll be a new website launching very soon at https://www.backtobooks.co.uk/
Blunt Knife Co. in Edinburgh is a not-for-profit social enterprise shop and event space that supports and promotes creative women and people of marginalised genders. Selling art, magazines, books, pamphlets, zines, and other printed matter, BKco. focusses on stories from marginalised groups and independent artists creating subversive works.
https://www.bluntknife.co
Bookbuster in Hastings is a secondhand & remainder bookshop, with a smattering of new books specialising in anarchist and left politics; race and gender politics; ecology; and wicca. I started in 2013, October 2023 being our 10th anniversary, a particularly tough decade for the book trade! I was going to trade as BlueGreenEarth Books, but the unit we found was a former Blockbuster, so… We have books, occult zines, cards, t-shirts, some CDs & DVDs plus a box of vinyl. We have a bay dedicated to Verso and Pluto titles, both new and remaindered. We contribute a regular book review, aka rant, usually on political and ecological titles, in the local Hastings Independent newspaper.
https://allmylinks.com/bookbusterbooks
Bookhaus Bookship in Bristol is a general bookseller with a particularly strong radical edge, represented both in their sizeable book and magazine stock, and also in their events programming.
https://www.bookhausbristol.com
Bookish Type an independent queer bookshop in Leeds https://thebookishtype.co.uk
Bookmarks in London is an independent bookshop that specialises in Marxist theory, economics and socialist history. http://www.bookmarksbookshop.co.uk/cgi/store/bookmark.cgi
Books on The Rise in London’s Richmond Hill offer a curated range of diverse contemporary fiction, drama and non-fiction. We have a long-term commitment to pluralistic publishing and widening the culture to include voices from the margins.
https://booksontherise.com
Calder Bookshop in London is a beautiful shop in the shadow of the Old Vic, with its own adjoining mini-theatre, and a specialism in political theory and theatre books. http://www.calderbookshop.com
Calton Books is Glasgow’s independent radical bookshop, wearing it’s politics on its sleeve. Stocking t-shirts, badges, books, hoodie’s, flags and much more. Shipping worldwide. http://www.calton-books.co.uk/
Category Is Books are fiercely independent Queer and LGBT Bookshop in Glasgow https://www.categoryisbooks.com
Connolly’s Wee Book Shop, now trading online only, selling second-hand books with a radical bent https://www.weebookshop.net/
Cowley Club in Brighton is a collectively run libertarian centre, which houses a cafe and bookshop during the day, a members bar during the evenings. https://cowley.club
Dreadnought Books in Bristol is an independent second-hand bookshop specialising in history, with a particular focus on radical, social and labour history. Also carrying a broad general stock catering to most interests. http://dreadnoughtbooks.co.uk
Drop City Books in Stoke-On-Trent. “Every element of Drop City Books- the authors and titles we stock, the way we source and price our stock, our events, our social media, the way we interact with our customers and our local community, our own work-life balance, the partnerships we form or don’t form – reflects our abolitionist, feminist, socialist, anti-racist values.” https://www.instagram.com/dropcitybooks
eco-logicbooks.com is an online retailer of environmental titles based in Bath, and can be found at eco-logicbooks.com.
Five Leaves Bookshop in Nottingham is the bookshop of Five Leaves Publications specialising in history, politics, fiction, poetry, lesbian and gay, counterculture, psychology, weird and wonderful, international writing, magazines and journals http://www.fiveleavesbookshop.co.uk/
Freedom Press in London is is a long-standing anarchist bookshop and publisher based in Whitechapel, East London. http://www.freedompress.org.uk/news/
Gay’s The Word in London was founded in 1979 by a group of gay socialists and is the oldest LGBT+ bookshop in the UK. It stocks a huge range of books attracting people from all over the world. Many campaigning/social groups were formed or have met here including the Gay Black Group and Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners and we host a wide variety of events. Current groups meeting at the bookshop include the Lesbian Discussion Group, Trans London, Black Lesbian Discussion Group, Ace Reading Group and a Trans Masc Reading Group. https://www.gaystheword.co.uk
Good Press in Glasgow is a workers cooperative dedicated to the promotion, distribution and production of independent, radical and self published printed matter, alongside co-projects Sunday’s Print Service and Lunchtime Gallery. We are a bookshop, events and gallery space, risograph printer and bookmaking studio. https://goodpress.co.uk
Housmans in London is a long-running radical bookshop in the King’s Cross area. It is a not-for-profit and non-sectarian bookshop, specialising in books, zines, and periodicals of radical interest and progressive politics. http://www.housmans.com/
Hydra Books in Bristol are radical booksellers set up by a group formed around the Bristol Radical History Group – currently premises are downstairs at Cafe Kino, BS1 3RU http://www.hydrabooks.org/
Just Books in Belfast is an anarchist bookseller, currently between premises, but still selling online and at events as well as publishing https://organiseanarchistsireland.com/shop/
La Biblioteka is a progressive bookshop in Sheffield https://labiblioteka.co
Left on the Shelf in Kendal is a specialist second hand bookseller of material on all topics to do with Socialism. http://www.leftontheshelfbooks.co.uk/
Letterbox Library in Stratford, London is a not-for-profit and a workers’ cooperative. Since 1983, they have been a leading online supplier of inclusive and diverse children’s books (largely to schools). http://www.letterboxlibrary.com/ [They also run the Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction alongside Housmans Bookshop].
Lighthouse in Edinburgh is a wonderful radical bookshop, a new incarnation of Word Power http://lighthousebookshop.com
Lockdown Books is a bookshop in Kington, Herefordshire with a focus on political, social and green issues, alongside landscape, ecology, feminist, queer, poetry, art, magic, life. Stocking a range of handmade books, letterpress broadsides, chapbooks and posters, independent and small presses. We may also have some art for sale.
https://lock-down-books.com
New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park, North London are specialists in African and Caribbean literature since 1966 https://www.newbeaconbooks.com
Newham Bookshop is East London’s leading independent bookseller. http://newhambooks.co.uk/
News from Nowhere in Liverpool is a wide-ranging radical & community bookshop established in 1974 and still going strong. They have books, magazines, pamphlets, journals, cards, t-shirts, hoodies, CDs, DVDs, flags and badges, as well as a few remainder & 2nd-hand books. Alongside the more overtly political stock, there’s also plenty of fiction and children’s books that contribute to building respect, and to challenging negativity, educating about struggles etc. It is a not-for-profit worker’s co-operative committed to social change. http://www.newsfromnowhere.org.uk/
Northern Herald Books is a bookseller selling mostly secondhand books, specialising in most aspects of left-wing politics and history, particularly anarchism and marxism. I sell primarily via stalls at events and conferences, but also by mail order. In addition, I cover a wide range of other subjects, attending academic conferences; these include labour history, social and economic history, women’s history, economics and industrial relations. Based in West Yorkshire https://www.pbfa.org/members/northern-herald-books
October Books in Southampton is an independent community bookshop and not-for-profit cooperative based in the Portswood area of Southampton. http://www.octoberbooks.org/
PaperxClips in Belfast, Northern Ireland is a queer bookshop, gender inclusive barbershop, cafe, and community space. The vision is to provide the queer community in Northern Ireland with access to radically inclusive literature, gender affirming services, as well as a meeting and hangout space which does not require spending money to exist in. https://www.paperxclips.com
People’s Bookshop in Durham specialising in radical politics, with primarily second-hand stock. http://peoplesbookshop.co.uk/
Portal Bookshop in York with a focus on Science Fiction, Fantasy and all of the LGBTQIA books we can source from the UK, the US and beyond. https://the-portal-bookshop.square.site
Printed Matter in Hastings, specialising in sociology, philosophy, psychology, political science, criminology, social history, economics, art & culture, music, nature and fiction. http://www.printedmatterhastings.co.uk
Quaker Centre Bookshop in London carries stock informed by Quaker faith and work, with books on peace, social justice, anti-racism, politics, LGBT rights, activism, ecology, feminism and religion and spirituality, as well as a large selection of progressive and spiritual children’s books.
www.quaker.org.uk/bookshop
Reading International Solidarity Centre in Reading is a Development Education Centre based in Reading and the aim of the bookshop is to support and promote the key principles of global citizenship, including social justice and human rights. https://www.risc.org.uk/world-shop/books-and-teaching-resources
Red Hound Books in Walthamstow, London specialises in independent presses highlighting lesser-known literature in English and in translation. Offering a highly curated range of modern and contemporary fiction, nonfiction and poetry, RHB places a particular focus on innovative writing engaged with current social and political landscapes.
https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/redhoundbooks
Round Table Books in Brixton, London exists to celebrate underrepresented children’s books, writers and illustrators. We curate and stock books from the widest variety of UK and Irish publishers possible
https://www.roundtablebooks.co.uk
Rubicund in Falmouth is a radical bookshop, vegan cafe and lending library. https://www.rubicund.co.uk/
Shelflife Books and Zines in Cardiff are not-for-profit booksellers focused on making space for marginalised voices, stocking books from independent, micro- and self- publishers. https://www.shelflifebookshop.com/
Shalimar Books in South London is an independent bookshop specialising in Indian books and fair trade crafts. https://indianbooksuk.com/
The Folkestone Bookshop is a non-profit stocking radical and general new and used books from small presses, activists and individuals, alongside larger publishers. Very much a community bookshop the goal has been to create a safe(r) third space where people can come to rest, dream or organise, with no pressure to spend money.
https://www.thefolkestonebookshop.co.uk
The Queerish Bookshop in Darlington specialises in radical and LGBTQ+ literature, but we do stock the odd book that may not necessarily fall into either category (the ish in Queerish).
https://www.thequeerishbookshop.co.uk
The Queery in Brighton is a radical bookstore, a small library, a small vegan café, and a wheelchair-accessible sober space available to hire for workshops, talks, classes, meetings, support groups, open mics, film nights and much more!
https://thequeery.co.uk
The Second Shelf in London is a snug independent bookstore focusing on works by women, including rare & first editions. https://www.thesecondshelf.com
Veggies is volunteer-led, a community-based, social enterprise based in Nottingham, who travel the country to provide vegan catering and reading material at a range of social and political events.
