Henry Bell

From our textbooks to our fiction, from the mythology of our political parties to the selective memories of our leaders, very particular historical narratives dominate the mainstream. These narratives deliberately erase, reshape, trivialise or distort stories that challenge our status quo. On opening night of the Radical Book Fair we are thrilled to welcome Nan Sloane, Maggie Craig and Henry Bell, who have revisited crucial chapters of our past. Each speaker has researched and written about very distinct periods and aspects of British history – yet it is significant that these individuals, these movements, these rebellions are often forgotten, ignored or written over.

Scottish historian Maggie Craig, is the author of the ground-breaking and acclaimed Damn’ Rebel Bitches: The Women of the ’45, and the recently republished When the Clyde Ran Red. The latter paints a vivid picture of the heady days when revolution was in the air on Clydeside. Through bitter strikes and Bloody Friday and on through the Spanish Civil War to the Clydebank Blitz, the men and women of Glasgow, Clydebank and beyond fought for the right to work, the dignity of labour and a fairer society for everyone.

Nan Sloane is a writer and activist with extensive experience of politics, feminism and the Labour Party. Her new book The Women In the Room : The Forgotten History of the Labour Party paints a vivid picture of the activism of a diverse range of women in the early twentieth century, and illuminates the real involvement of women in the birth of the Labour and trade union movements.

Finally writer and Gutter editor Henry Bell joins the panel to introduce his latest book is a biography of the largely forgotten Scottish hero John Maclean. From the Great War and the Great Unrest, to the Rent Strike and the Russian Revolution, Bell examines Maclean’s work as an organiser and educator, his imprisonment and hunger strike, and how he became the early hero of radical Scottish Independence.

**We have 80 FREE places available for this event, first come first served, just get in touch by giving the bookshop a call or popping in and we will add your name to the guest list! **

This event is part of Edinburgh’s 22nd Independent & Radical Book Fair,which runs from November 1st-4th 2018