Our History
The current version of our club was launched in 2015, but Left Book Club has a long history.
“The aim of the Left Book Club is a simple one. It is to help in the terribly urgent struggle for world peace and against fascism”
—Victor Gollancz
Celebrating 90 years
This year we're celebrating 90 years since the Left Book Club was originally founded by British publisher Victor Gollancz. With 57,000 members, the club was widely credited with playing a part in Labour's landslide victory in 1945 and the creation of the welfare state.
Today we want to replicate the success of the original Left Book Club, bringing together people in communities across the UK to read, debate and organise together.
Read more about Gollancz and the history of the club here.
Our Editorial Panel
Our panelists include academics, activists, trade unionists, booksellers and publishers, who all bring a variety of expertise across politics and the social sciences. Volunteering their time for free, the panel read a huge number of books, of which 12 a year are selected for publication as a Left Book Club edition.
Panel Members
David Castle: Chair of the Panel, Publisher at Left Book Club and Editorial Director of Pluto Press
Gargi Bhattacharyya
Katherine Bugos
Mary Evans
Jeremy Gilbert
Nik Gorecki
James Knight
Gawain Little
Nicole McNeal
Jeremi Miller
Karen Shook