Left on the Shelf (LOTS) was set up in 1992 when Dave Cope bought the second-hand stock from Central Books, at the time when the shop in Grays Inn Road was closed. Dave has spent practically all his working life in the radical book trade – from 1975 he managed Progressive Books in Liverpool, before moving to Central Books in London in 1987. Left on the Shelf was a part-time business till he moved to Kendal in 2004. In Autumn 2025 Mark Thwaite, a long-standing LOTS customer, bought the business from Dave and a new chapter begins…
Left on the Shelf (LOTS) is an independent, UK-based specialist radical bookseller that has been serving the left and selling both rare and historic second-hand left-wing and socialist books, magazines, ephemera and collectibles for over 30 years.
Our latest catalogue is out now.
It features our usual wide range of carefully curated second-hand and historic books and magazines with topics including Africa, Anarchism, British politics, Colonialism, Feminism, Marxism, Palestine, Spain, Trade Unions and the Soviet Union. We also have a miscellany including badges, post cards and posters (many of which we sell on eBay).
We ship all over the world, and principally sell via ABE Books, but we do encourage you to get in touch with us directly via leftontheshelf@phonecoop.coop. Buying directly helps us save on fees.
Like all independent booksellers, LOTS really needs your support! So, please take a look at our latest catalogue and please share our details with comrades, friends and across your networks. Thank you.
You can sign up to our newsletter to get the latest information on our titles, as well as be the first to receive the new catalogue.
Do please follow us on Instagram and explore our website. You can see all our titles listed on ABE Books here.
