New Beacon Books
 | |
| Status | Open Tuesday -Saturday 11am - 6pm (Thursday 11am - 8pm) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1966 |
| Founders | John La Rose (1927–2006), Sarah White |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Headquarters location | Stroud Green Road London, N4 United Kingdom |
| Nonfiction topics | Black culture; Black British, Caribbean, African, African-American and Asian literature |
| Official website | https://www.newbeaconbooks.com/ |
New Beacon Books is a British publishing house, bookshop, and international book service that specializes in Black British, Caribbean, African, African-American and Asian literature.[1][2][3] Founded in 1966 by John La Rose and Sarah White, it was the first Caribbean publishing house in England.[4][5] New Beacon Books is widely recognized as having played an important role in the Caribbean Artists Movement, and in Black British culture more generally.[6][2] The associated George Padmore Institute (GPI) is located in the same building where the bookshop resides at 76 Stroud Green Road, Finsbury Park, London.
History[]
New Beacon Books started out as a publishing house that was run out of the Hornsey, North London, flat of John La Rose and Sarah White.[4][3] It was named after the Trinidadian journal The Beacon, which was published between 1931 and 1932.[2][7] In 1967, La Rose and White moved New Beacon Books to new premises, in Finsbury Park, where the company also began to function as a specialist bookstore.[2] Early publications included Foundations by John La Rose (1966), Tradition, the Writer and Society: Critical Essays by Wilson Harris (1967), and a new edition of John Jacob Thomas's 1889 study, Froudacity (1969).[8][7]
Other notable works published by New Beacon Books include: Edward Kamau Brathwaite, History of the Voice: The Development of Nation Language in the Anglophone Caribbean (1984); Jane and Louisa Will Soon Come Home (1980) and Myal (1988) by Erna Brodber; Martin Carter, Poems of Succession (1977); Bernard Coard's How the West Indian Child is Made Educationally Sub-normal in the British School System (1971); Lorna Goodison, I am Becoming my Mother (1986); Mervyn Morris, The Pond (1973) and Shadowboxing (1979); and Andrew Salkey, A Quality of Violence (1978).
The 50th anniversary of New Beacon was celebrated with a series of events held during the latter part of 2016,[9] including an International Poetry Night on 3 December internationally acclaimed poet and GPI Trustee Linton Kwesi Johnson at the British Library.[10]
In late 2016, the directors of the bookshop decided to close it down on the grounds that it was no longer economically viable. A particular problem was that it lacked a functional website, and was losing its specialist niche to online booksellers. The physical setup had not essentially changed since the 1980s. It closed in February 2017.[11]
However, a volunteer New Beacon Development Group swiftly reopened the shop with reduced hours and set about gathering support. Crowdfunding raised £11,248, which helped the shop to undertake a major refurbishment and create a website, permitting online browsing and shopping. The renovations were completed in August 2017 and normal hours were reestablished.[12]
See also[]
- George Padmore Institute
- International Book Fair of Radical Black and Third World Books
- Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications
References[]
- ^ Donnell 2002, p. 299.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Phillips 2011.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Sankar 1996.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Alleyne 2002, p. 41.
- ^ Johnson 2006.
- ^ Walmsley 1992, pp. 90–91.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Alleyne 2002, p. 42.
- ^ Walmsley 1992, p. 90.
- ^ Palmer, Carl (15 August 2016), "UK's First Black Publisher And Bookshop Celebrates 50th Year", The Voice.
- ^ "Beacon of hope: The tiny bookshop that gave a big voice to black writers", BBC – Arts, 6 December 2016.
- ^ "New Beacon Books: About Us". New Beacon Books. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Gelder, Sam (8 August 2017). "Finsbury Park's New Beacon Books set to begin new chapter this weekend". Islington Gazette. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
Sources[]
- Alleyne, Brian W. (2002). Radicals Against Race: Black Activism and Cultural Politics. Oxford: Berg. ISBN 1-85973-527-4.
- Donnell, Alison, ed. (2002). "New Beacon Books". Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture. London: Routledge. pp. 299–300. ISBN 0-415-16989-5.
- Johnson, Linton Kwesi (4 March 2006). "Obituary: John La Rose". The Guardian. p. 39. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
- Phillips, Caryl (2011). "John La Rose". Colour Me English. London: Random House. ISBN 9781409028925.
- Sankar, Celia (September–October 1996). "A Caribbean publisher's radical beacon". Americas (English ed.). 48. ISSN 0379-0940.
- Walmsley, Anne (1992). The Caribbean Artists Movement, 1966–1972: A Literary and Cultural History. London: New Beacon Books. ISBN 9781873201015.
External links[]
- New Beacon Books – official website
- Beezmohun, Sharmilla (28 November 2016). "Foundations of a Movement". British Library. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- Bookshops in London
- Independent bookshops of the United Kingdom
- Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom
- Publishing companies based in London
- Caribbean literature
- Black British culture in London
- Black British mass media
- Bookstores established in the 20th century
- Publishing companies established in 1966
- 1966 establishments in England
- British companies established in 1966
- Caribbean Artists Movement