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 List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
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''.
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 La ...
), and is a play on words regarding its political outlook and also reminds of the
vice versa - "the other way around".
History and details
In 1970, Verso Books began as a paperbook imprint. It established itself as a publisher of
nonfiction works on
international politics, focusing on authors such as
Tariq Ali. However, Verso Books has also published some
fiction 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 Chemistry, Physics, Physiolo ...
in 1992.
[Verso Books]
About Verso
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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 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".
See also
* List of Radical Thinkers releases
* '' New Left Review''
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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