The Bookplace
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Industry | Bookshop Publisher |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 |
| Founder |
|
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Headquarters | 13 Peckham High Street, London, SE15 United Kingdom |
Number of locations | 1 |
Key people |
|
| Services |
The Bookplace was a radical community bookshop at 13 Peckham High Street, Peckham, south east London which was open 1977–1996.[1]
The shop sold black literature, women's writing, children's books, local press as well as mainstream publications. Aside from selling books the building acted as radical community space; the upper floor providing meeting space and adult education classes.[2][3]
The Peckham Literacy Centre, which took the upstairs floor, also provided space for the Peckham Publishing Project and Peckham People's History group. These projects together gave (often black, working class and/or female) local residents resources, platforms and the ability to publish and share their stories.[1]
The Bookplace would provide services to local schools, providing them with books and booklists, running anti-racist audits on their existing book stock, giving talks to students and would invite them to their regular book fairs. Their newsletter highlighted to schools that many of their children's books "offer alternatives to the standard white middle-class characters".[2]
Book sales would go towards the Peckham Literacy Centre's educational programmes but The Bookplace was otherwise funded by Southwark Council, Greater London Arts Association, the Inner London Education Authority at various points.[2]
The Bookplace was considered the "daughter of Centerprise bookshop" in East London, which opened shortly before[4] and shared similar values and purpose to other radical community bookshops across London at the time such as New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park, the Walter Rodney Bookshop[5] in Ealing and THAP in Whitechapel.[6]
