New Beacon Books
New Beacon Books was founded in 1966 by John La Rose and Sarah White. It was the UK's first Black publisher, specialist bookshop, and international book distributor.
Its foundation was driven by La Rose’s rich political and cultural vision influenced by his experiences in the Caribbean and South America. Throughout its history, the bookshop has been at the heart of several significant political and social movements and campaigns, including the Caribbean Artists' Movement, the Black Parents' Movement, and the New Cross Massacre Action Committee.
The bookshop started in its founders private home but in 1973 moved to its current location of 76 Stroud Green Road, which was eventually purchased by the bookshop. In 1991 the George Padmore Institute archive was established, which is based at the same address.
New Beacon Books makes a vast array of poetry, non-fiction, history, and children's books available from regions including Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, African American, and Black Britain.
New Beacon Books serves as a vital community hub, hosting numerous cultural, literary, and political events, including children's readings and pop-up book stalls at various events and conferences.
The bookshop also plays an educational role, providing outreach programs for schools and running a publishing house. The bookshop has helped many Black authors who suffered from a lack of finance, media publicity, and widespread distribution to publish their books in Britain. It is run with the assistance of a collective of dedicated volunteers known as the New Beacon Team.
New Beacon Books has faced an incident on January 20th 1989 when the shop's window was smashed, potentially due to their prominent display of Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses."
The bookshop continues to champion freedom of expression and radical thought to this day. In 2017, the New Beacon Development Group, including members of John La Rose’s family and volunteers, initiated a crowdfunding campaign to save the bookshop. The campaign successfully raised £12,500, which was used to refurbish the bookshop, upgrade its IT systems, and build a website, ensuring its survival and continued impact on the community.
Despite facing financial challenges, the resilience and commitment of its supporters have kept New Beacon Books thriving as a beacon of Black literature and activism. They are members of the Alliance of Radical Booksellers.
Sources:
Tom Ambrose, 'UK's first black bookshop weighs move to new site after 50k raised to save it', The Guardian, 01.01.2022 [online, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jan/01/uks-first-black-bookshop-weighs-move-to-new-site-after-50k-raised-to-save-it, accessed 23.06.2025]
Michael La Rose, 'The Story of New Beacon Books: over 50 years of independant radical publishing and specialist bookselling', Hornsey Historical Society, Bulletin 63
Radical Bookshops Listing, Radical Bookshop History Project (November 2023) [Available online here, accessed 23.06.2025]
The Radical Bookseller, No. 63, 1989; No. 67, 1990; No. 75, 1991
