New Hogtown Press
Encyclopedia
New Hogtown Press was a Canadian left-wing publisher active during the 1970s and 1980s.
The press originated as the literature service of the Canadian Union of Students
(CUS), producing and distributing pamphlets on education, Canadian political economy, and other issues during the late 1960s
. When the Canadian Union of Students dissolved in 1969, a group of Toronto CUS activists decided that the literature service should be kept going as an independent organization. They formed Hogtown Press, continued distributing the CUS pamphlets, and began producing and distributing new titles as well.
After a period of time, the original collective moved on, and in 1972 a new group, initially funded by the University of Toronto Students’ Administrative Council, took over the operation. The new collective shifted the project’s focus away from the campus to a broader range of issues, and changed the name to New Hogtown Press. Subsequently the press became an independent non-profit corporation. The all-volunteer collective began to publish a substantial number of new pamphlets, with particular emphasis on Canadian working class
and radical history, women’s liberation, and social history
.
In its 1974 catalogue, Hogtown defined its goals by stating that “We hope to distribute an increasing amount of working class material and writing from the Canadian Left in general. Our aim is to promote a comprehensive selection of literature dealing with critical issues in Canadian society from a socialist perspective.”
New Hogtown Press also became a distributor for pamphlets produced by a broad range of other small left-wing publishers and collectives, such as Dumont Press Graphix, The Last Post, This Magazine is About Schools, Toronto Committee for the Liberation of Portugal’s African Colonies (TCLPAC), Latin American Working Group, Development Education Centre (DEC), Better Read Graphics, NC Press, Women’s Press, Exploding Myths Comic Book Collective, Pollution Probe, Peoples Press, New England Free Press, Black and Red, the New Tendency, Wages for Housework, Industrial Worker
, New Star Books, Socialist Reproduction, and Press Gang Publishers.
In 1975, Hogtown started to publish books as well as pamphlets. The first title off the press was Jesse Lemisch’s On Active Service in War and Peace, which documented the way in which the American historical profession had put itself in the service of American state and corporate power.
Subsequent titles included The Great War and Canadian Society, Imperialism, Nationalism, and Canada, and Eight Men Speak.
Members of the collective during its period of peak activity included Richard Wright, Joel Lexchin, Russell Hann, Gregory Kealey, Thom Schofield, Craig Heron
, Krys Dobrowolski, Ulli Diemer, Elaine Farragher, Lori Rotenberg, Daphne Read, Miriam Ticoll, Karolyn Kendrick, and Gus Richardson.
An ongoing challenge for Hogtown was that of setting publishing and political priorities. Some members were primarily interested in academically oriented manuscripts, especially in the fields of Canadian labour, women’s, and social history. These were publications which would typically take several years to move from their date of conception to their publication date.
Other collective members, who saw the primary mandate of Hogtown as popular education, were more concerned with publishing popularly oriented materials which dealt with current issues and which could be written, published, and distributed quickly.
From a business point of view, neither kind of title could be counted on to generate reliable revenue flows, so throughout its existence, Hogtown struggled with the financial challenges of operating a socialist enterprise in a capitalist system, attempting to carry out a professional publishing program on an all-volunteer or almost all-volunteer basis. The press nevertheless produced a substantial list of titles through the years of its existence, and for a time was a major distributor of left-wing materials in English Canada
. A possible indicator of its perceived importance was the fact that on at least two occasions in the early 1970s, break-ins in which nothing of apparent value was stolen occurred at the premises occupied by Hogtown.
After two decades of operation, New Hogtown Press gradually wound down its publishing program around 1990, although previously published titles continued to be available for a number of years subsequently.
The press originated as the literature service of the Canadian Union of Students
Canadian Union of Students
The Canadian Union of Students was an association that linked student unions at Canadian universities during the 1960s and 1970s. At one time a low-key organization for sharing expertise and jointly sponsoring services, it became increasingly political, suffering a major loss when the Quiet...
(CUS), producing and distributing pamphlets on education, Canadian political economy, and other issues during the late 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
. When the Canadian Union of Students dissolved in 1969, a group of Toronto CUS activists decided that the literature service should be kept going as an independent organization. They formed Hogtown Press, continued distributing the CUS pamphlets, and began producing and distributing new titles as well.
After a period of time, the original collective moved on, and in 1972 a new group, initially funded by the University of Toronto Students’ Administrative Council, took over the operation. The new collective shifted the project’s focus away from the campus to a broader range of issues, and changed the name to New Hogtown Press. Subsequently the press became an independent non-profit corporation. The all-volunteer collective began to publish a substantial number of new pamphlets, with particular emphasis on Canadian working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
and radical history, women’s liberation, and social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
.
In its 1974 catalogue, Hogtown defined its goals by stating that “We hope to distribute an increasing amount of working class material and writing from the Canadian Left in general. Our aim is to promote a comprehensive selection of literature dealing with critical issues in Canadian society from a socialist perspective.”
New Hogtown Press also became a distributor for pamphlets produced by a broad range of other small left-wing publishers and collectives, such as Dumont Press Graphix, The Last Post, This Magazine is About Schools, Toronto Committee for the Liberation of Portugal’s African Colonies (TCLPAC), Latin American Working Group, Development Education Centre (DEC), Better Read Graphics, NC Press, Women’s Press, Exploding Myths Comic Book Collective, Pollution Probe, Peoples Press, New England Free Press, Black and Red, the New Tendency, Wages for Housework, Industrial Worker
Industrial Worker
The Industrial Worker, "the voice of revolutionary industrial unionism," is the newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World . It is currently released ten times a year, printed and edited by union labor, and is frequently distributed at radical bookstores, demonstrations, strikes and labor...
, New Star Books, Socialist Reproduction, and Press Gang Publishers.
In 1975, Hogtown started to publish books as well as pamphlets. The first title off the press was Jesse Lemisch’s On Active Service in War and Peace, which documented the way in which the American historical profession had put itself in the service of American state and corporate power.
Subsequent titles included The Great War and Canadian Society, Imperialism, Nationalism, and Canada, and Eight Men Speak.
Members of the collective during its period of peak activity included Richard Wright, Joel Lexchin, Russell Hann, Gregory Kealey, Thom Schofield, Craig Heron
Craig Heron
Craig Heron is a Professor of History at York University. Influenced by E.P. Thompson, he is considered to be one of the founders of the "New Labour History", which brought Marxist theory to the study of Canada's working-class....
, Krys Dobrowolski, Ulli Diemer, Elaine Farragher, Lori Rotenberg, Daphne Read, Miriam Ticoll, Karolyn Kendrick, and Gus Richardson.
An ongoing challenge for Hogtown was that of setting publishing and political priorities. Some members were primarily interested in academically oriented manuscripts, especially in the fields of Canadian labour, women’s, and social history. These were publications which would typically take several years to move from their date of conception to their publication date.
Other collective members, who saw the primary mandate of Hogtown as popular education, were more concerned with publishing popularly oriented materials which dealt with current issues and which could be written, published, and distributed quickly.
From a business point of view, neither kind of title could be counted on to generate reliable revenue flows, so throughout its existence, Hogtown struggled with the financial challenges of operating a socialist enterprise in a capitalist system, attempting to carry out a professional publishing program on an all-volunteer or almost all-volunteer basis. The press nevertheless produced a substantial list of titles through the years of its existence, and for a time was a major distributor of left-wing materials in English Canada
English Canada
English Canada is a term used to describe one of the following:# English-speaking Canadians, as opposed to French-speaking Canadians. It is employed when comparing English- and French-language literature, media, or art...
. A possible indicator of its perceived importance was the fact that on at least two occasions in the early 1970s, break-ins in which nothing of apparent value was stolen occurred at the premises occupied by Hogtown.
After two decades of operation, New Hogtown Press gradually wound down its publishing program around 1990, although previously published titles continued to be available for a number of years subsequently.
Pamphlets published by Hogtown Press and New Hogtown Press (partial list)
Titles dated prior to 1972 are Hogtown Press.- Margaret Benston: The Political Economy of Women’s Liberation. (1970)
- Mickey and John Rowntree: More on the Political Economy of Women’s Liberation. (1970)
- Daniel DracheDaniel DracheDaniel Drache is a contemporary scholar in Canadian and international political economy, globalization studies, communication studies, and cultural studies...
. Rediscovering Canadian History. (1971)
- Ernest MandelErnest MandelErnest Ezra Mandel, also known by various pseudonyms such as Ernest Germain, Pierre Gousset, Henri Vallin, Walter , was a revolutionary Marxist theorist.-Life:...
: Capitalism and Regional Disparities. (1971)
- Kathleen GoughKathleen GoughEleanor Kathleen Gough Aberle was a British anthropologist who was known for her work in South Asia and South-East Asia. As a part of her doctorate work, she did field research in Malabar district from 1947 to 1949. She did further research in Tanjore district from 1950 to 1953 and again in 1976,...
: The Origin of the Family. (1972)
- Carl RogersCarl RogersCarl Ransom Rogers was an influential American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach to psychology...
. Towards a Science of the Person: An Alternative to Behaviourism. (1972)
- Paul Craven & David Clark. Corporate Research Guide. (1973)
- Stephen Arnold: Third World Literature or Absurd World Literature? A Canadian, Future, Socialist Perspective. (1973)
- Free School Handbook. (1973)
- Kathleen Gough: Women in Evolution. (1973)
- Quebec Solidarity Committee News Service: Quebec ’72. (1973)
- Quebec Teachers’ Corporation Manifesto. Our Schools Serve the Ruling Class. (1973)
- Canadian Chamber of Commerce: The Communist Threat to Canada. (1947, 1973)
- The Decline and Fall of a Good Idea: CCF-NDP Manifestos, 1932-1969. (1974)
- Leo A. Johnson: Poverty in Wealth: The Capitalist Labour Market and Income Distribution in Canada. (1974)
- Gregory S. Kealey: Hogtown: Working Class Toronto at the Turn of the Century. (1974)
- Russell Hann: Farmers Confront Industrialism: Some Historical Perspectives on Ontario Agrarian Movements. (1975)
- Steven LangdonSteven LangdonSteven W. Langdon is a Canadian academic, politician, economist, and former parliamentarian.Born in Stratford, Ontario, Langdon graduated from the University of Trinity College in the University of Toronto in 1969...
: The Emergence of the Canadian Working Class Movement, 1845-75. (1975)
- A Guide to Working Class History. (1975)
- Patricia V. Schulz: The East York Workers’ Association: A Response to the Great Depression. (1975)
- Randy Morse and Larry Pratt: Darkness at the End of the Tunnel: A Radical Analysis of Canadian-American Relations. (1975)
- Martin GlabermanMartin GlabermanMartin Glaberman was an influential American Marxist, teacher, and autoworker.-Biography:Glaberman was associated with the Johnson-Forest Tendency, a radical left group that split from the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party, which understood the Soviet Union as a state capitalist society rather...
. Four Essays on the Working Class. (1975)
- M. Gordon: Anti-Corporate Research Guide. (1975)
- Leo PanitchLeo PanitchLeo Panitch is a Distinguished Research Professor, renowned political economist, Marxist theorist and editor of the Socialist Register. He received a B.A. from the University of Manitoba in 1967 and a M.Sc. and PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1968 and 1974,...
: Workers, Wages and Controls: The Anti-Inflation Programme and Its Implications for Canadian Workers. (1976)
Books published by New Hogtown Press
- Jesse Lemisch: On Active Service in War and Peace: Politics and Ideology in the American Historical Profession. (1975)
- Imperialism, Nationalism, and Canada: Essays from the Marxist Institute of Toronto. ISBN 978-0-919940-05-5. (1975)
- Daphne Read (ed.): The Great War and Canadian Society: An Oral History. (1975)
- Richard Wright and Robin Endres (eds.): Eight men speak, and other plays from the Canadian workers' theatre. (1976)
- Dawn Fraser: Echoes from Labour's War: Industrial Cape Breton in the 1920s Narrative Verse. ISBN 978-0-919940-09-3. (1976)
- Robert J. Brym and R. James Sauouman (eds.): Underdevelopment and Social Movements in Atlantic Canada. (1979)
- Donna Phillips: Voices of Discord: Canadian short stories from the 1930s. ISBN 0919940129. (c. 1979)
- Beth Light and Alison Prentice (eds.): Pioneer and Gentlewomen of British North America 1713 - 1867. (1980)
- Bryan D. Palmer: The Making of E.P. Thompson. ISBN 091994017X. (1981)
- Beth Light and Joy Parr (eds.): Canadian Women on the Move, 1867–1920. (1983)
- David Leadbeater: Essays on the Political Economy of Alberta. ISBN 0919940196. (1984)
- Paula Bourne: Women’s Paid and Unpaid Work: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. ISBN 091994020X. (1985)
- Gregory S. Kealey and Brian D. Palmer: Dreaming of What Might Be: The Knights of Labor in Ontario 1880–1900. ISBN 0919940226. (1987)
- Beth Light and Ruth Roach Pierson (eds.): No Easy Road: Women in Canada 1920s – 1960s. (1990)
- Annalee Golz et al.: A Decent Living: Women Workers in the Winnipeg Garment Industry. ISBN 0919940269. (c. 1991)