Spartacus Books
Encyclopedia
Since 1973, Spartacus Books is a non-profit, volunteer and collective
ly run bookstore and resource centre
in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
and only one of its kind in the city. Located right on the edge of Vancouver's Eastside
, Spartacus sells new and used books, zines, comics, magazines, CDs, videos, T-shirts, patches, pins, posters and cards. Spartacus books is one of the longest running collectively run bookstores in North America.
The building it was originally located in completely burned down on April 25, 2004. On February 12, 2006, the store was once again open for business at 319 West Hastings Street, immediately adjacent to the old location. However, due to the increasing cost of real estate in Vancouver, the store was forced to move again to its current location at 684 East Hastings Street.
by Roger Perkins, who worked at the SFU bookstore. It was initially called the Spartacus Socialist Education Society, however over the years it has become a meeting place for people of widely divergent political views. However, they all agreed that they needed to get books and other educational materials that either were extremely difficult or simply impossible to get through any other means.
The bookstore originally was in a space shared by a pool-hall run by the American Exiles Association, a group of American military deserters and war resister
s. Later, it moved to 311 West Hastings Street, where it operated for 30 years until the fire in 2004.
. Each volunteer would write down important information that happened on their volunteer shift. Over the period of time the original store was open, the journals would be the main piece of history as to what happened at the store. Unfortunately, this was lost as well.
which operates on a very horizontal consensus decision making structure. Any member of the public can fill out an application to join the collective, and after an interview process to make sure that the prospective volunteer understands the basis principles of respect, and the general rules of the store, the volunteer gets trained, and after volunteering is considered a member of the collective.
It is usually described as a "radical bookstore", and among its sections are to find anarchism
, "womyn
", "queer lit
", poetry
, first nations
, "organizing
", socialism
, history
and ecology
, plus a section of non-specialized "sale" used books. The bookstore is often used for various events such as movie nights and book releases, which often bring in various different people into the store. Spartacus has been described over the years to be the nerve centre of alternative culture
in Vancouver, where various organizations hold meetings. Groups that have used the space for meetings throughout the years include the anarchistic free school movement, Vancouver Indymedia, cooperative housing, the Vancouver esperanto
group and the local chapter of Industrial Workers of the World
. There are also some computers connected to internet and running free software
in Spartacus Books (provided by the NGO Freegeek), which can be used for free.
Collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together on a specific project to achieve a common objective...
ly run bookstore and resource centre
Infoshop
An infoshop is a storefront or social center that serves as a node for the distribution of political information, typically in the form of books, zines, stickers and posters. Infoshops often serve as a meeting space and resource hub for local activist groups....
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and only one of its kind in the city. Located right on the edge of Vancouver's Eastside
Downtown Eastside
The Downtown Eastside is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is known as "Canada's poorest postal code"....
, Spartacus sells new and used books, zines, comics, magazines, CDs, videos, T-shirts, patches, pins, posters and cards. Spartacus books is one of the longest running collectively run bookstores in North America.
The building it was originally located in completely burned down on April 25, 2004. On February 12, 2006, the store was once again open for business at 319 West Hastings Street, immediately adjacent to the old location. However, due to the increasing cost of real estate in Vancouver, the store was forced to move again to its current location at 684 East Hastings Street.
History of the bookstore
Spartacus Books was originally started at Simon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
by Roger Perkins, who worked at the SFU bookstore. It was initially called the Spartacus Socialist Education Society, however over the years it has become a meeting place for people of widely divergent political views. However, they all agreed that they needed to get books and other educational materials that either were extremely difficult or simply impossible to get through any other means.
The bookstore originally was in a space shared by a pool-hall run by the American Exiles Association, a group of American military deserters and war resister
War resister
A war resister is a person who resists war. The term can mean several things: resisting participation in all war, or a specific war, either before or after enlisting in, being inducted into, or being conscripted into a military force....
s. Later, it moved to 311 West Hastings Street, where it operated for 30 years until the fire in 2004.
The fire
The fire started on April 25, 2004 at 6:00 AM in a back dumpster behind the store. There has been an investigation into the fire, however the cause of the fire wasn't certain. By the time the fire was put out, the entire building had gone up in flames and Spartacus Books had lost not only all of its inventory, but a lot of the old materials detailing the history of the store. Spartacus Books has a large collective, and the collective operates by writing in a store journal. The store journal is an analog version of a wikiWiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
. Each volunteer would write down important information that happened on their volunteer shift. Over the period of time the original store was open, the journals would be the main piece of history as to what happened at the store. Unfortunately, this was lost as well.
Fundraising, work and reopening
Fundraising for Spartacus Books came in the way of numerous donations, and the efforts of the collective over the years between April 2004 and November 2005. They managed to get enough money, used books and other donated items from the now-shut down Granville Book Company, which allowed the store to get space, and shelving. In November 2005, the new space opened its doors to the public for a book release. However, the book store was far from being open. For example, there was no heat or electricity. However, by February 2006, Spartacus was back, and had a strong volunteer list of over 60 people in the collective.The current store
Spartacus Books is a bookstore that is run by a loosely-organized collectiveCollective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together on a specific project to achieve a common objective...
which operates on a very horizontal consensus decision making structure. Any member of the public can fill out an application to join the collective, and after an interview process to make sure that the prospective volunteer understands the basis principles of respect, and the general rules of the store, the volunteer gets trained, and after volunteering is considered a member of the collective.
It is usually described as a "radical bookstore", and among its sections are to find anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, "womyn
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
", "queer lit
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
", poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, first nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
, "organizing
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
", socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, plus a section of non-specialized "sale" used books. The bookstore is often used for various events such as movie nights and book releases, which often bring in various different people into the store. Spartacus has been described over the years to be the nerve centre of alternative culture
Alternative culture
Alternative culture is a type of culture that exists outside or on the fringes of mainstream or popular culture, usually under the domain of one or more subcultures...
in Vancouver, where various organizations hold meetings. Groups that have used the space for meetings throughout the years include the anarchistic free school movement, Vancouver Indymedia, cooperative housing, the Vancouver esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
group and the local chapter of Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
. There are also some computers connected to internet and running free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
in Spartacus Books (provided by the NGO Freegeek), which can be used for free.
External links
- http://spartacusbooks.net/