Lefty Book Places in the North-West
As smaller UK book shops in general are dying out, one of the saddest casualties is the general demise of the Radical Book Store (Bookmarks in London being just one example.) I fondly remember one such store in Manchester, Frontline Books in Rusholme, a great shop which shut down back in 2000. One key reason being it was full of skint and/or tight arsed wasters like me hanging round, gazing admiringly, and buying nothing but the odd post-card. Now I can afford to buy stuff its too late. There's a lesson there somewhere readers. Not sure if its directly related, but there is another Frontline Books in Leicester which seems to keep a similar remit, so good luck to the them. I you're a Lefty ex-student in the area with miserly tendencies - go on - buy the odd tome, you'll be sorry if its gone.
It's not all doom and gloom in the North West. Liverpool's News From Nowhere, taking its name from William Morris' inspirational tract, is thankfully still going strong. I don't often venture into Scouse-land, but I did visit this place a couple of times a couple of years back and can thoroughly recommend it. Bought the "Regime Change Begins At Home" playing cards set for a frig sight cheaper than you'll get them on Amazon.
Back in Manchester, there is still sadly no Left-wing book shop active since the demise of Frontline. What there is however, is The Basement. This is a truly inspirational combination of cafe, community centre, hang-out, and a totally free informal leftist library where you can take what books you like for free, without registration, as long as you promise to bring them back! Okay, the selection is not massive, but its not bad either. To be honest the atmosphere of the place is a little on the anarcho-hippie-student-veggie-crusty-animal-lib side for a pie and peas old-Left socialist like myself, but the dedication behind it is impossible not to admire. If you're in the area and fancy a radical read, don't fail to drop down. And buy an orange-juice while you're there.
Places like News From Nowhere and The Basement deserve support. As I've said before ,yes the Internet is the way forward, yes there will inevitably be less libraries and book-stores, but it is very important we keep some, as there is no substitute for a real space to come into contact with solid paper books, with solid, non-paper people around them. Desperate, defeated, up-against-it Leftists even moreso.
