BY SARA LOBMAN
Pathfinder, located in New York with distributors in Australia, Britain, and Canada, publishes books and pamphlets by revolutionary fighters whose struggles against capitalism, racism, and all forms of exploitation and oppression point the way forward for humanity. Pathfinder bookstores are listed in the directory on page 12.
Four sales representatives visited 25 bookstores and libraries in Houston and Dallas during a week-long effort to increase sales of Pathfinder titles in Texas. They met with buyers at 5 college bookstores, 14 commercial bookstores, and 5 libraries. More than $1,000 in orders were placed directly with Pathfinder. In addition, many bookstore representatives marked titles they plan to get through one of the major wholesalers that carry Pathfinder's books.
A Spanish-language bookstore that used to carry only religious books and periodicals has recently expanded its inventory to include history, politics, and biography. On two earlier visits, the owner had decided not to carry any Pathfinder books. This time he put in an order for seven titles, including El socialismo y el hombre en Cuba (Socialism and man in Cuba), Nelson Mandela: Intensifiquemos la lucha (Nelson Mandela: Intensify the struggle), Qué lejos hemos llegado los esclavos (How far we slaves have come), and all four issues of Nueva Internacional.
Managers at four of the college and university bookstores told the Pathfinder representatives they had decided to substantially increase the number of trade books they carried. "Students don't just want to read text books," one explained. At another bookstore, after looking through the catalog, the manager excitedly called over a student who works at the store to get his help in selecting titles.
"I think a lot of people will be interested in this," he said after reading the back cover of New International no 10, which includes the articles "Imperialism's March toward Fascism and War" and "Defending Cuba, Defending Cuba's Socialist Revolution." Together they picked out 11 titles, ordering two of most. These included: The Changing Face of U.S. Politics, Fighting Racism in World War II, Malcolm X Talks to Young People, Genocide Against the Indians, and Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State.
In a busy bookstore in Dallas that orients primarily towards the Black community, the owner reported that Cointelpro: The FBI's Secret War on Political Freedom was selling well. The store already carries Pathfinder's Malcolm X titles, as well as books of speeches by Nelson Mandela, Thomas Sankara, and Maurice Bishop. In addition to restocking some of these titles, she decided to try: The Changing Face of U.S. Politics, Fighting Racism in World War II, and The Jewish Question, by Abram Leon.
Ever since the L.A. Weekly ran a feature article on the Los Angeles Pathfinder bookstore in its May 12-18 issue (see Militant issue no. 22) "people who had never heard of us before have been coming in," Craig Honts reports. In one day alone, nine copies of New International were sold to these new customers.
"I have just finished reading Two Speeches by Malcolm X and on the last page of the book I noticed many different books that caught my interest," Duane Coleman said in a recent letter. "I am asking and hoping that you can send me an order form along with a catalog. I am in the Navy Seabeas and we move around a lot. There are very many of us that would like to acquire these reading materials of knowledge."
Patti Iiyama and Margrethe Siem from Houston contributed to this column.