The radical city bookstore that’s like “visiting an old friend”

A shop in Liverpool wants to ‘help us create that better world’.

News from Nowhere (NfN) opened its doors on 1 May 1974. It was founded by former London School of Economics students Bob Dent and Maggie Wellings and took its name from William Morris’ utopian novel published in 1890.

Because of the “radical” bookshops elsewhere, when they returned to Liverpool they decided they would set up a political bookshop. Thanks to a £1,000 loan from Maggie’s family, the dream came true.

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Staff member Maria Ng told the ECHO: “Our intention is to provide literature about progressive social change, to change the world for the better. We always have this angle: the environment, feminism, LGBT rights, anti-racism, anti-capitalism, socialism, all different things.

“A broad spectrum of left-wing politics. We’re a community bookstore, so we can get whatever books people want.”

The store moved from its first home in Manchester Street (now Old Haymarket), then to Whitechapel in 1977, before its first in Bold Street in 1989. It wasn’t until 1996 that it moved to its current home in Bold Street, purchased with the money raised. through donations, loans and a mortgage.

By being established as a workers’ co-op in 1984, Maria said: “It means the business is owned and run collectively by the workers. It’s not for profit, we take our wages and any money goes back into the business for the benefit of the community.”

For the staff, surviving 50 years is a great achievement. In that time, around nine radical bookshops have survived in Liverpool, over 100 nationally, and survived the widespread decimation of the independent book trade.

Mandy Vere joined the shop in 1976. During the tough years of Margaret Thatcher’s government, Mandy had said: “While the Toxteth riots were taking place in Liverpool 8, a campaign of arson, violence and intimidation began against the many radical bookshops across the country. News from Nicăieri has not become one of the most affected”.

For about six to eight years, the attacks came in waves, weekly, if not daily, by gangs of fascists. They would target the bookstore knocking over shelves, smashing windows, setting fires and sometimes assaulting staff and customers.

Mandy added: “As always, the best support has been from friends and supporters of progressive movements. Community leaders from Liverpool 8 came to show their support, other radical bookshops locally and nationally did what they could with publicity and supporters, known as the Conspirators, rallied to help.’

In the 1980s and 1990s they built relationships; an ongoing one with Liverpool John Moores University and for years sympathetic lecturers have been recommending NfN to students. They stocked vast student texts, and each fall an influx of students brought them much-needed trade.

Supporting local history books attracted more passing trade. In a climate of tolerance, store politics “wasn’t seen as scary anymore.”

Martyn, who has been a customer since he moved from London 10 years ago, said: “Before that I was using Housmans Bookshop in London, another radical bookshop. There is a book about them available here.

“Magazines that cannot be found elsewhere, the right variety, the one here is the Ethical Consumer, which contains information about various campaigns and what is good to buy. There are many books here that have been published by people I know. It’s like going back to see old friends.”

First time customer Mel was drawn to the shop after seeing it was an independent business. They said: “Seeing that it was community driven, kind of radical, so that was pretty cool too. I just wanted to check, just browse. I like biographies or people talking about their lives, stuff like that, and also philosophy.”

NfN supports local authors as much as they can. You can email or call and tell them about your book, which they will sell on a sell-and-return basis.

Speaking about why they set up shop, co-founder Bob Dent said: “To help us create that better world that William Morris envisioned in”News from nowhere‘, we need ideas that counter the prevailing ideologies. Access to alternative, creative, radical ideas that help us challenge the various power structures of society is not a sufficient condition for changing the world, but it is a necessary one”.

NfN strives to be there to provide that access and for the information visit HERE

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