Laying The Foundations: New Beacon Books, Bogle L’Ouverture Press and the Politics of Black British Publishing

Abstract

Drawing on previously unpublished interviews with Sarah White and Eric and Jessica Huntley, this article compares the work of two pioneering black publishing houses in Britain in the latter half of the twentieth century, New Beacon Books and Bogle L’Ouverture Press. It places their activities and the publication of specific texts within the context of shifting cultural and political agendas during a period of profound change within British publishing.Whilst providing examples of their joint involvement in cultural and political events, this essay also brings the differences between these two publishers to the fore. These differences reveal the space that has existed since the 1960s for more than one kind of publisher of black interest books in Britain. The activities of New Beacon Book and Bogle L’Ouverture, and those of subsequent generations of black publishers point towards an uninterrupted history of black publishing in Britain, dating back over 40 years. This history is characterised by the unconventional and often controversial approach adopted by each publisher, as discussed here.

Keywords

• XXth century
• Britain
• publishing industry
• publishing niche
• New Beacon Books
• Bogle L’Ouverture