Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Left Bank Books Collective records, approximately 1973-2015
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Left Bank Books
- Title
- Left Bank Books Collective records
- Dates
- approximately
1973-2015 (inclusive)19732015
- Quantity
- 3.82 cubic feet (6 boxes)
- Collection Number
- 6272 (Accession No. 6272-001)
- Summary
- Business records of a collective-run bookstore, used bookstore, and wholesale distribution and mail order in Seattle
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
No restrictions on access.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Left Bank Books was founded in 1973 by a group of workers who split off from the University District’s Red and Black Books to form their own collective bookstore in the Pike Place Market. The two projects continued as separate but mutually supportive projects until the mid 1990s, when Red and Black closed. For much of the 1980s and 1990s, the Left Bank Books Collective expanded to include two other projects: AKA Books, a used bookstore in Seattle's University District, as well as a wholesale distribution and mail order project known as Left Bank Distribution. Neither of these projects exists today due to financial problems and rental situations in Seattle.
Left Bank is collectively owned and operated by its workers, and has been since its inception. As an anarchist collective, Left Bank has no bosses or managers. Decisions are made in bi-monthly collective meetings based on a consensus process. Left Bank Books still operates out of a Pike Place Market storefront.
Left Bank Books was founded as a small collective. In the late 1990s, Left Bank Books became registered as a federal corporation so that in the event of financial difficulty at the store, individual employees would not be held financially responsible. Left Bank Books is not federally registered as a non-profit.
Left Bank Distribution, or LBD, was a project started by the Left Bank Books collective in 1980 and ended in 2001. LBD was a book distribution project that provided direct mail-order service of radical book, zines and magazines to individuals and bookstores during the 1980s and 1990s. LBD was a wholesale distributor of radical and alternative books, pamphlets, magazines and zines to independent bookstores, tabling projects, libraries and other organizations, and individuals, mail order catalog. LBD offered one of the largest selections of anarchist & radical books in the world. Corporatization of the bookstore and distribution industry beginning in the late 1990s led to the proliferation of chain bookstores and put many independent bookstores out of business.
Source: https://www.leftbankbooks.com/aboutUs.php#history
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Business records of the Left Banks Books Collective and its projects AKA Books, a used bookstore in Seattle's University District, as well as a wholesale distribution and mail order project known as Left Bank Distribution.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Political Flyers and Articles | 1974 |
| 1/2 | Communism Articles | 1976 |
| 1/3 | Store Communication Logs | 1977 |
| 1/4 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence | 1978 |
| 1/5 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence | 1979 |
| 1/6 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence | 1980 |
| 1/7 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence (1 of 2) | 1981 |
| 1/8 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence (2 of 2) | 1981 |
| 1/9 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence (1 of 2) | 1982 |
| 1/10 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence (2 of 2) | 1982 |
| 1/11 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence | 1983 |
| 1/12 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence | 1984 |
| 1/13 | Monthly Meeting Agendas and Minutes | 1985 |
| 1/14 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence | 1986 |
| 1/15 | Staff and Volunteer Shift Procedures | 1987 |
| 1/16 | Evergreen State College Lesbian/Gay Resource Center Rally Invitation and Article | 1989 |
| 1/17 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence | 1990 |
| 1/18 | Store Communication Logs and Correspondence | 1991 |
| 1/19 | Store Correspondence and Event Flyers | 1998 |
| 1/20 | Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information (1 of 4) | |
| 1/21 | Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information (2 of 4) | |
| 1/22 | Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information (3 of 4) | |
| 1/23 | Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information (4 of 4) | |
| 2/1 | Check Registers | |
| 2/2 | Daily Sales Sheets (1 of 3) | 1995 |
| 2/3 | Daily Sales Sheets (2 of 3) | 1995 |
| 2/4 | Daily Sales Sheets (3 of 3) | 1995 |
| 2/5 | Check Registers | |
| 2/6 | Daily Sales Sheets | 1994 |
| 2/7 | Tax Form 1065 | 1992 |
| 2/8 | Chart of Accounts | |
| 2/9 | Daily Sales Sheets | 1992 |
| 2/10 | Debt Reports | 1995 |
| 2/11 | Debt Reports | 1993 |
| 2/12 | Debt Reports | 1994 |
| 2/13 | Donations | |
| 2/14 | Left Bank Distribution (LBD) Savings Account | |
| 2/15 | Key Bank Merchant Statements | 1995 |
| 2/16 | DEMCO Invoices | 1995 |
| 2/17 | Tax Receipts | 1994 |
| 2/18 | Meeting Minutes | |
| 2/19 | Check Statements and Checks | 1993 |
| 2/20 | Bank Statements | 1992 |
| 2/21 | Meeting Minutes - AKA Books Liquidation | 1995 |
| 2/22 | Expenses and Sales Records (1 of 2) | |
| 2/23 | Expenses and Sales Records (2 of 2) | |
| 2/24 | Check and Cash Receipts Registers | |
| 2/25 | Bookkeeping and Tax Record (1 of 3) | 1980 |
| 2/26 | Bookkeeping and Tax Record (2 of 3) | |
| 2/27 | Bookkeeping and Tax Record (3 of 3) | 1981 |
| 2/28 | Lease and Landlord Communication | |
| 3/1 | Income Forms | 1989 |
| 3/2 | AKA Books Sales Materials | |
| 3/3 | Bookstore Articles | |
| 3/4 | Black Eye Press | |
| 3/5 | Graphics - Incite | |
| 3/6 | Brooklyn Square Rent Payment Records | |
| 3/7 | Store Communication (1 of 2) | |
| 3/8 | Store Communication (2 of 2) | |
| 3/9 | Tote Bag Designs | |
| 3/10 | T-Shirt/Hoodie Designs | |
| 3/11 | Photographs | |
| 3/12 | Meeting Minutes (1 of 2) | |
| 3/13 | Meeting Minutes (2 of 2) | |
| 3/14 | "Historical" Momentos and Book Cards | |
| 3/15 | Mementos and Communication to Left Bank Books | 2005 |
| 3/16 | Sales and Finances | |
| 3/17 | Newsletters and Publications | 2005 |
| 4/1 | Store Communication (3 of 3) | 2004 |
| 4/2 | News about World Trade Organization (WTO) Protests and Police Response | 1999 |
| 4/3 | Left Bank Distribution Catalogs | |
| 4/4 | News About World Trade Organization (WTO) Protest | 1999 |
| 4/5 | George Jackson Brigade Article from Tacoma News Tribune | 1977 |
| Box | ||
| 5 | Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information | |
| 6 | Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Anarchism--Washington (State)--Seattle--History--Archives
- Booksellers and bookselling--Washington (State)--Seattle--History--Archives
- Industrial management--Employee participation--Washington (State)--Seattle--History--Archives
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
Corporate Names
- AKA Books (Seattle, Wash.)--History--Archives
- Left Bank Books Collective--Archives
- Left Bank Distribution (Seattle, Wash.)--History--Archives
