Breviary Stuff Publications. A radical publisher?
Breviary Stuff Publications is concerned with ‘history from below’, the history of ordinary people and our perpetual struggles for some fairness and freedom from the oppression that we have been and are forced to endure in our daily lives. We are not concerned with the history of ‘great men‘, the wealthy, the powerful, the famous. We are interested in what ordinary people felt about the situations that they found themselves in, how their lives were shaped by them, how they reacted to them, the actions they took, and how the state responded to such demands. Much of this history has been disregarded as insignificant by traditional political history and is thus hidden, to the extent that many people have no knowledge of their own history. For many people history is what they did at school, and a typical UK school history syllabus does not cover much more than the wars, politicians, generals, and royalty. They therefore, quite naturally, feel disconnected from it and the whole subject becomes rote work.
It is our belief that when people are more aware of their own history they will feel less isolated within society, less disenfranchised from the running of that society, will gain an understanding of themselves and those around them, will feel empowered and able to demand that the society within which they live will be shaped by them. A sense of community, of belonging, will be restored. They will also gain an understanding of the machinations employed by the state which seek to hold them in stasis, subdue and overrule them. Through having a sense of what has happened we can see more clearly where we are going and where we want to go.
Fortunately for us many historians have sought to unearth this hidden history and through their work we are able to enrich our understanding of our lives. Breviary Stuff Publications aims to keep significant works in print. Unlike certain academic presses, who publish works on working class history with cover prices that most working class people cannot afford, our books will be published within affordable limits. This is our small effort towards a society which is grounded in mutual respect.
We don’t set out to be radical just for the sake of being radical. It is dictated by the problems which we see and the solutions which we perceive. When you declare that things are fundamentally wrong you are radical by definition.
Communication is welcomed.
