The Left Book Club
Pioneering British publisher Victor Gollancz founded the original Left Book Club in 1936. His aim was to popularise the ideas of the left and combat the rise of fascism. Members received one book a month, including George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier and Edgar Snow’s Red Star Over China. The success of Gollancz’s plan was extraordinary. By 1939 there were 57,000 members running 1200 reading groups. The huge popularity of the LBC had a powerful impact and is widely credited with helping to bring about a shift in public opinion which led to Labour’s landslide victory after WW2. The club today Today, the aims of the LBC remain the same. We bring people together to share ideas that will help transform society. Our world today shares parallels with the world of the 1930s. Racism, nationalism and even fascism are on the rise. Austerity and deepening inequality are destroying lives. Refugees are fleeing authoritarian regimes and war. Mainstream debate is dominated by a deeply conservative media. The world is ready for a Left Book Club for the twenty-first century. Join us, and help to build a movement which can secure a better future.