WAULeftBankBooksCollective6272.xml Guide to the Left Bank Books Collective Records approximately 1973-2015 Left Bank Books Collective Records Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries © 2019 (Last modified: 1/31/2020)
Allen Library BOX 352900 Seattle, Washington 98195-2900 Business Number: 206-543-1929 speccoll@uw.edu http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-05. Description is written in: Undetermined, Code for undetermined script script. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries Left Bank Books Collective records Left Bank Books 6272 3.82 cubic feet 6 boxes approximately 1973-2015 Business records of a collective-run bookstore, used bookstore, and wholesale distribution and mail order in Seattle Collection materials are in English.

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

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.

No restrictions on access.

Request at UW

Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.

Forms part of the Labor Archives of Washington.

Wikidata is available for this collection

Left Bank Books Collective--Archives Left Bank Distribution (Seattle, Wash.)--History--Archives AKA Books (Seattle, Wash.)--History--Archives Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington) Booksellers and bookselling--Washington (State)--Seattle--History--Archives Anarchism--Washington (State)--Seattle--History--Archives Industrial management--Employee participation--Washington (State)--Seattle--History--Archives Businesses and Corporations Minutes (Records) Records (Documents) Newsletters Business correspondence Ephemera Photographs Trade catalogs Logs (Records) Sales records Book catalogs Newspaper clippings Political Flyers and Articles 1974 6272-001 Box 1 1 Communism Articles 1976 6272-001 Box 1 2 Store Communication Logs 1977 6272-001 Box 1 3 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence 1978 6272-001 Box 1 4 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence 1979 6272-001 Box 1 5 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence 1980 6272-001 Box 1 6 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence (1 of 2) 1981 6272-001 Box 1 7 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence (2 of 2) 1981 6272-001 Box 1 8 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence (1 of 2) 1982 6272-001 Box 1 9 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence (2 of 2) 1982 6272-001 Box 1 10 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence 1983 6272-001 Box 1 11 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence 1984 6272-001 Box 1 12 Monthly Meeting Agendas and Minutes 1985 6272-001 Box 1 13 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence 1986 6272-001 Box 1 14 Staff and Volunteer Shift Procedures 1987 6272-001 Box 1 15 Evergreen State College Lesbian/Gay Resource Center Rally Invitation and Article 1989 6272-001 Box 1 16 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence 1990 6272-001 Box 1 17 Store Communication Logs and Correspondence 1991 6272-001 Box 1 18 Store Correspondence and Event Flyers 1998 6272-001 Box 1 19 Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information (1 of 4) 6272-001 Box 1 20 Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information (2 of 4) 6272-001 Box 1 21 Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information (3 of 4) 6272-001 Box 1 22 Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information (4 of 4) 6272-001 Box 1 23 Check Registers 6272-001 Box 2 1 Daily Sales Sheets (1 of 3) 1995 6272-001 Box 2 2 Daily Sales Sheets (2 of 3) 1995 6272-001 Box 2 3 Daily Sales Sheets (3 of 3) 1995 6272-001 Box 2 4 Check Registers 6272-001 Box 2 5 Daily Sales Sheets 1994 6272-001 Box 2 6 Tax Form 1065 1992 6272-001 Box 2 7 Chart of Accounts 6272-001 Box 2 8 Daily Sales Sheets 1992 6272-001 Box 2 9 Debt Reports 1995 6272-001 Box 2 10 Debt Reports 1993 6272-001 Box 2 11 Debt Reports 1994 6272-001 Box 2 12 Donations 6272-001 Box 2 13 Left Bank Distribution (LBD) Savings Account 6272-001 Box 2 14 Key Bank Merchant Statements 1995 6272-001 Box 2 15 DEMCO Invoices 1995 6272-001 Box 2 16 Tax Receipts 1994 6272-001 Box 2 17 Meeting Minutes 6272-001 Box 2 18 Check Statements and Checks 1993 6272-001 Box 2 19 Bank Statements 1992 6272-001 Box 2 20 Meeting Minutes - AKA Books Liquidation 1995 6272-001 Box 2 21 Expenses and Sales Records (1 of 2) 6272-001 Box 2 22 Expenses and Sales Records (2 of 2) 6272-001 Box 2 23 Check and Cash Receipts Registers 6272-001 Box 2 24 Bookkeeping and Tax Record (1 of 3) 1980 6272-001 Box 2 25 Bookkeeping and Tax Record (2 of 3) 6272-001 Box 2 26 Bookkeeping and Tax Record (3 of 3) 1981 6272-001 Box 2 27 Lease and Landlord Communication 6272-001 Box 2 28 Income Forms 1989 6272-001 Box 3 1 AKA Books Sales Materials 6272-001 Box 3 2 Bookstore Articles 6272-001 Box 3 3 Black Eye Press 6272-001 Box 3 4 Graphics - Incite 6272-001 Box 3 5 Brooklyn Square Rent Payment Records 6272-001 Box 3 6 Store Communication (1 of 2) 6272-001 Box 3 7 Store Communication (2 of 2) 6272-001 Box 3 8 Tote Bag Designs 6272-001 Box 3 9 T-Shirt/Hoodie Designs 6272-001 Box 3 10 Photographs 6272-001 Box 3 11 Meeting Minutes (1 of 2) 6272-001 Box 3 12 Meeting Minutes (2 of 2) 6272-001 Box 3 13 "Historical" Momentos and Book Cards 6272-001 Box 3 14 Mementos and Communication to Left Bank Books 2005 6272-001 Box 3 15 Sales and Finances 6272-001 Box 3 16 Newsletters and Publications 2005 6272-001 Box 3 17 Store Communication (3 of 3) 2004 6272-001 Box 4 1 News about World Trade Organization (WTO) Protests and Police Response 1999 6272-001 Box 4 2 Left Bank Distribution Catalogs 6272-001 Box 4 3 News About World Trade Organization (WTO) Protest 1999 6272-001 Box 4 4 George Jackson Brigade Article from Tacoma News Tribune 1977 6272-001 Box 4 5 Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information 6272-001 Box 5 Publishers, Authors, and Other Contact Information 6272-001 Box 6