Links/Friends
Dawn of the Unread
A local 'interactive graphic novel' project, devoted to and run by lovers of libraries and books.
ExLibris – The Masked Booksellers
The fabulous comrades from the local Federation of Masked Booksellers (FMB) are tirelessly striving to rescue books and redistributing them at minute prices to support good causes. They are often to be found at local events and their annual Mega-Booksale at their miraculous pop-up bookshop in Carlton, Nottinghamshire, should not be missed! You can also find them on Facebook and Flickr.
Five Leaves Bookshop
Independent bookshop (and publishing house) in Nottingham City Centre.
Nottingham Women's Centre
Providing a safe environment for women and offering support, training, activities and more.
Nottingham Women’s History Group
Celebrating, promoting and researching the contribution of women to Nottingham’s history.
Nottingham Writers Studio
Offering workspaces, networking opportunities, advice, creative and professional support.
Nottinghamshire Archives
A brilliant place full of awesome documents, run by lovely people who are always happy to share their specialist knowledge.
Nottinghamshire Black Arrow
Blog of the Nottingham group of the Anarchist Federation.
People’s Histreh – Nottingham and Notts Radical History Group
Turn to your friendly neighbourhood Histerians for guided walks, fine books (from their very own publishing house Loaf On A Stick Press) and talks and events. If you want to know about how our Castle got torched, our major knocked over by a massive cheese, WWI death sentences and mutineers and much more, look no further! We are very happy to curate their collection of local history books and pamphlets here at the Sparrows’ Nest.
Sumac Centre
The Sumac Centre is a volunteer-run social and community space based in Forest Fields, Nottingham and the headquarters of Veggies Catering Campaign.
Please note: this is of course by no means a comprehensive list of such places in the UK, let alone elsewhere. Many of the following are listed because we have personal ties to them, they donated materials to us, etc. For an extensive list please see also the website of the Fédération internationale des centres d'étude et de documentation libertaires (FICEDL).
In 2020 we joined the Society for the Study of Labour History (SSLH), who host a list of fascinating libraries and archives based in the UK.
1in12 Club, Bradford
Opened in 1996, Bradford's 1in12 Club also offers a sizeable collection of literature, and maintains a space which plays host (in addition to the book-related activities) to films, meetings, internet access and meals.
56a Infoshop, London
56a Infoshop is a volunteer-run DIY social centre in Walworth, South London.
Anarchief, Gent and Appelscha (Belgium and Netherlands)
Anarchist archives.
Anarchism and the Platformist Tradition
An Archive of Writings on the Platformist Tradition within Anarchism
Mikhail Bakunin Reference Archive, in: Marxists’ Internet Archive
Texts and some contextual information.
Biblioteca-Archivo de Estudios Libertarios (BAEL), Argentina
The library of the Argentinian section of the IFA, also featuring digitised documents.
Biblioteca e Observatório dos Estragos da Sociedade Globalizada (BOESG), Lisbon (Portugal)
Read more about this excellent library in our report on a congress in Frankfurt in August 2016.
Bibliothek der Freien, Berlin (Germany)
An anarchist library opened in 1993. Extensive collections curated by lovely people. We met them a few times on meetings and mutual visits and they donated some excellent materials to the Nest. Their website features a detailed ‘About’ section in English.
Big Flame
Big Flame was a socialist project in the 1970s and 80s which produced a series of themed papers which were influential on the libertarian left and anarchism alike. On this site you can find information and a number of digitised publications. If you want to see the real thing, copies of Big Flame and the Libertarian Communist Group’s (LCG) paper Libertarian Communist can be found at the Sparrows' Nest.
Bishopsgate Institute, London
Running adult education courses and hosting a brilliant library.
Black Pigeon, Dortmund (Germany)
An anarchist book and cultural centre.
Centre International de Recherches sur l'Anarchisme (CIRA), Lausanne (Switzerland)
CIRA was 50 years old in 2007. The CIRA is an anarchist library and archive, a place dedicated to memory, which lives thanks to the generosity of authors and publishers, and thanks to the work of dozens and dozens of people who devote their time and money to this work of preservation.
The Cowley Club, Brighton
Social centre, also featuring a library, also a member of Radical Routes.
The Feminist Library, London
Feminist Library holds a large collection of Women's Liberation Movement literature.
The Emma Goldman Papers
Hosted by the Berkeley Library. Primary sources and much more.
The Hippies Now Wear Black - Crass and the anarcho Punk movement 1977-1984
Blog rather than an archive, but interesting nonetheless.
Hydra Books, Bristol
Radical and independent book shop-come-café.
Kate Sharpley Library, London and California
Committed to preserving and promoting anarchist history, often donates brilliant materials to the Sparrows’ Nest.
Pëtr Kropotkin, in: The Anarchist Library
Texts and some contextual information.
Libcom.org
A site maintained by a small collective of libertarian communists based in and around London. Features loads of materials and resources, a newsfeed, forum, etc.
The Nestor Makhno Archive - The Makhnovshchina & Revolution in Ukraine
Texts and some contextual information.
Errico Malatesta, in: Marxists’ Internet Archive
Texts and some contextual information.
MayDay Rooms
Archive down in that London.
News from Nowhere, Liverpool
Radical and community bookshop.
Schwarzen Radieschen, Graz (Switzerland)
Infoshop, café and library.
The Women’s Library (at LSE), London
Documents all aspects of women’s lives, with an emphasis on women in the UK throughout the great political, economic and social changes of the past 150 years.
Working Class Movement Library, Salford
An amazing library and archive hosting a vast treasure trove of materials documenting Working Class History from the eighteenth century onwards. Always worth a trip if you find yourself in the area!
Tyneside Anarchist Archive
Anarchist archive looking after numerous original sources.
Please note: this is of course by no means a comprehensive list of bookfairs in the UK, let alone elsewhere. Please also see the Alliance of Radical Booksellers.
Bristol Anarchist Bookfair
London Anarchist Bookfair
The UK’s largest anarchist bookfair used to held every year. Read more about its early days in our blog.
Manchester and Salford Anarchist Bookfair
Salon du livre anarchiste/Anarchistische Büchermesse, Bern (Switzerland)
Inspired by the London Bookfair, this event has taken place every year since 2009.
Sheffield Anarchist Bookfair
Please note: this is of course by no means a comprehensive list of such places in the UK, let alone elsewhere. Please also see the Alliance of Radical Booksellers.
Active Distribution, London
AK Press, London and California
AK Press is a worker-managed independent publisher and book distributor that specialises in radical left and anarchist literature.
Housmans, London
One of the last remaining radical bookshops in London.
Past Tense
A publishing project based in South London, exploring London radical history.
PM Press
PM Press is an independent publisher that specializes in radical, Marxist and anarchist literature, as well as crime fiction, graphic novels, music CDs, and political documentaries.
International of Anarchist Federations (IFA)
Consisting of a number of sections from Europe and the Americas. The British section is the Anarchist Federation (AFed), and their local branch is Nottingham AF. We are very happy that the AFed entrusted us with their archives.
International Workers Association/Asociación Internacional de los Trabajadores (IWA-AIT)
Consisting of a number of sections from Europe, South America and Australia. The British section is the Solidarity Federation (SolFed). We are very happy that the SolfFed entrustred us with their archives and that large archival collections from the various predecessors of the modern day SolFed (notably the Anarchist Federation of Britain, AFB and the Syndicalist Workers’ Federation, SWF) have also found their way in our collections.