red flag diary…

Update 13.5.2013(1.7.2009)billn

red diaries from www.garyreed.netI was recently searching for something-or-other and came across a very different Big Red Diary. Clearly it is run, since 2005, by a red-headed lady – I’ll make no other assumptions in respect of the word ‘big’ – anyway, zero complaints from me! But that got me wondering how many other ‘BRDs’ there could be “out there…”

Not many it seems – though ‘Red Diary’ is more common – I did, however, find one interesting piece of social history; an old publication of that name designed by one David Wild in 1973 for Pluto Press, a publisher of radical political pamphlets and books – who still seem to be going strong. According to the official Pluto Press web-page:

“Pluto Press has always had a radical political agenda. Founded in 1969 as a publishing arm of International Socialism, the forerunner of the Socialist Workers Party in the UK, in 1979 we broke with this political affiliation and became truly independent. Today, we represent authors from a wide range of progressive political viewpoints. With over 550 titles in print, Pluto Press is one of the world’s leading radical book publishers. We publish more than 70 new titles each year.”

I didn’t know the history when I appropriated the ‘Big Red Diary’ name, and it seems that ‘red’ mainly stood for something else in the 1970s – though depending on where you live, times have mainly moved on! I found a few old cover-pages of the ‘original’ Red Diary that you might be interested to see. If there are any staunch socialists out there with a penchant for burgundy, then please do send me some scans from any ‘missing’ years that you may still have…
EDIT 21-Aug-2009 – four more covers including the classic “better active today than radioactive tomorrow”! Courtesy the publisher – Pluto. The last issue was 1987.

EDIT 13-May-2013 – A kind reader delivers the cover for 1983! Many thanks…

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

There are 2 responses to “red flag diary…”

  1. jon @ Pluto17th August 2009 at 1:15 pmPermalinkReply

    Hmmm. Wine for diary scans. Interesting….

    Feel free to give me a shout and I can probably provide you with all the covers…

  2. richardkuper8th February 2013 at 5:08 pmPermalinkReply

    A new wiki Pluto Press 1969-1987 gives a rather different history of the early years of Pluto Press which was never the “publishing arm” of International Socialism

    • billn11th March 2013 at 12:51 pmPermalinkReply

      A nice revisionist history that Richard – I wonder when it will be changed again? 🙂
      Yes I see their ‘about us’ has changed a little, but you don’t have to look far in google for their own original text (as I quoted).

      According to the official Pluto Press webpage, “Pluto Press has always had a radical political agenda. Founded in 1969 as a publishing arm of International Socialism…”

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