Verso Books (formerly New Left Books) is a
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
publishing house based in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, founded in 1970 by the staff of ''
New Left Review
The ''New Left Review'' is a British bimonthly journal covering world politics, economy, and culture, which was established in 1960.
History Background
As part of the British "New Left" a number of new journals emerged to carry commentary on m ...
''.
Renaming, new brand and logo
Verso Books was originally known as New Left Books. The name "Verso" refers to the technical term for the left-hand page in a book (see
recto and verso
' is the "right" or "front" side and ''verso'' is the "left" or "back" side when text is written or printed on a leaf of paper () in a bound item such as a codex, book, broadsheet, or pamphlet.
Etymology
The terms are shortened from Latin ...
), and is a play on words regarding its political outlook and also reminds of the
vice versa
References
Additional references
*
*
{{Latin phrases
V
ca:Locució llatina#V
da:Latinske ord og vendinger#V
fr:Liste de locutions latines#V
id:Daftar frasa Latin#V
it:Locuzioni latine#V
nl:Lijst van Latijnse spreekwoorden en ui ...
- "the other way around".
History and details
In 1970, Verso Books began as a paperbook imprint. It established itself as a publisher of
nonfiction
Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...
works on
international politics
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the Scientific method, scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities betwe ...
, focusing on authors such as
Tariq Ali
Tariq Ali (; born 21 October 1943) is a Pakistani-British political activist, writer, journalist, historian, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He is a member of the editorial committee of the ''New Left Review'' and ''Sin Permiso'', and con ...
. However, Verso Books has also published some
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...
over the years as well.
The publisher gained early recognition for translations of books by European thinkers, especially those from the
Frankfurt School
The Frankfurt School (german: Frankfurter Schule) is a school of social theory and critical philosophy associated with the Institute for Social Research, at Goethe University Frankfurt in 1929. Founded in the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), dur ...
. Verso Books' best-selling title is the autobiography of
Rigoberta Menchú, who was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...
in 1992.
[Verso Books]
About Verso
/ref>
Verso Books titles are distributed in the United States by Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
.
The publishing house is known to host many events in the United States and Europe, focusing on radical politics and history.
On April 8, 2014 Verso began bundling DRM-free
Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures (TPM) such as access control technologies can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. ...
e-books with print purchases made through its website. Verso's managing director Jacob Stevens stated that he expected the new offer on the Verso website to contribute £200,000 to the publisher's revenue in its first year helping to "shake up how publishers relate to their readership, and help to support independent publishing".
In 2019, Verso Books launched its fiction imprint. The fiction editor, Cian McCourt, said, "We want to publish bold, intelligent writing that’s politically astute, but not dogmatic or charmless."
By 2020, Verso Books had published over 1,800 titles.
See also
* List of Radical Thinkers releases
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
* ''New Left Review
The ''New Left Review'' is a British bimonthly journal covering world politics, economy, and culture, which was established in 1960.
History Background
As part of the British "New Left" a number of new journals emerged to carry commentary on m ...
''
References
External links
*
Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom
Book publishing companies based in New York (state)
Political book publishing companies
Publishing companies established in 1970
1970 establishments in New York (state)
1970 establishments in England
American companies established in 1970
Verso Books books
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