Page One Bookshop

1979 — 1987
The Whole Thing, 53 West Ham Lane, Stratford, London E15

Page One Community Bookshop was based at The Whole Thing in Stratford, a space which also housed a café and various community projects. It was a workers' co-operative.

Page One specialised in anti-sexist and anti-racist literature, children's books, sexual politics, Lesbian and Gay literature, ethnic minority writers, and books about co-operatives. The bookshop also published their own books, including Benjamin Zephaniah's first book of poetry, Pen Rhythm. Benjamin Zephaniah also worked at The Whole Thing for a few years.

The Greater London Council's abolition in 1986 posed significant challenges for The Whole Thing. The centre had to split its food and book operations due to financial constraints, with the book side heavily dependent on grant funding.

Sources:

Radical Bookshops Listing, Radical Bookshop History Project (November 2023) [Available online here, accessed 3.7.2025]

The Radical Bookseller, No. 43, December 1985; No. 45, March/April 1986

Derek Smith, 'A Forest Gate Memor of Benjamin Zephaniah', E7 Now and Then website, 10.01.2024 [Online, http://www.e7-nowandthen.org/2024/01/a-forest-game-memoir-of-benjamin.html, accessed 3.7.2024]