AK Press

AK Press is an independent, collectively owned publisher and book distributor associated with anarchist politics, the radical left, and a broad range of contemporary social movements. It began in Stirling, Scotland, in 1987, when Ramsey Kanaan established it as a small mail-order distribution outlet. The organization subsequently expanded beyond distribution into publishing, developed a base in Edinburgh, and later established a United States operation in Oakland, California. Its current United States base is in Chico, California, while the organization continues to maintain a presence in Edinburgh. The press occupies a distinctive position within English-language political publishing. Rather than operating as a general-interest commercial house, it concentrates on books and other printed materials addressing anarchist theory, anti-authoritarian politics, the history of revolutionary and social movements, labor, feminism, anti-racism, prison abolition, environmental politics, anti-capitalism, and anti-fascism. Its catalog combines new writing with reissues and editions of classic texts by major anarchist thinkers, including Peter Kropotkin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Errico Malatesta, Emma Goldman, Alexander Berkman, and Voltairine de Cleyre. It also publishes historical work concerning episodes and movements such as the Spanish Revolution and the Makhnovist movement. AK Press functions both as a publisher and as a distributor. It distributes books and materials from other independent presses, authors, libraries, and activist organizations, helping connect politically oriented publishing projects with readers and movement networks. Its publishing activity includes collaborations with the Institute for Anarchist Studies, the Kate Sharpley Library, and World War 3 Illustrated. The Emergent Strategy Series, edited by adrienne maree brown, extends the press's program into Black feminist, queer, transformative, and community-organizing thought. Its Black Dawn series brings speculative fiction with anarchist or politically radical themes into the catalog. The organization is structured as a collective resembling a worker cooperative. Members collectively own and manage the press, work without conventional bosses or a formal hierarchy, and use collective decision-making influenced by anarchist principles. This organizational model is part of the brand's identity rather than merely an internal administrative arrangement. AK Press also maintains a visible presence outside traditional bookstores by selling at anarchist book fairs, conferences, activist gatherings, literary festivals, and related events in the United States and United Kingdom. Alongside books, its sales catalog has included pamphlets, periodicals, posters, clothing, buttons, stickers, and other movement-related goods. AK Press has experienced significant organizational and physical disruptions. In 2007, Kanaan and several other members departed and later formed PM Press. In March 2015, a deadly fire at a warehouse complex in West Oakland damaged AK Press's warehouse, after which the press relocated its operations to Chico. In 2020, AK Press became a founding member of the Radical Publishers' Alliance, linking it with other politically oriented publishers and magazines internationally. Its continuing significance rests on the combination of radical political publishing, independent distribution, collective ownership, and close relationships with activist and intellectual communities.

AK Press was founded in Stirling, Scotland, in 1987 by Ramsey Kanaan as a small mail-order distribution operation. Its original role was to circulate politically radical and anarchist materials that were often difficult to obtain through mainstream bookselling channels. Over time, the operation expanded into publishing as well as distribution, establishing a broader catalog and a more durable institutional presence within anarchist and independent-press networks. The Scottish base later moved from Stirling to Edinburgh. AK Press subsequently developed a United States operation in Oakland, California, creating a transatlantic structure that supported publishing, distribution, and event sales in both countries. The organization became known not only for issuing its own books but also for distributing titles from other independent presses, authors, libraries, and social-movement organizations. Its catalog developed around anarchist theory and history while expanding into subjects including anti-capitalism, labor, feminism, anti-racism, prison abolition, environmental politics, anti-fascism, and contemporary organizing. The press has published or circulated classic writings associated with figures such as Peter Kropotkin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Errico Malatesta, Emma Goldman, Alexander Berkman, and Voltairine de Cleyre. It has also supported historical and analytical work on anarchist movements, including the Spanish Revolution, Nestor Makhno, and the Makhnovshchina. Its contemporary program includes collaborations with the Institute for Anarchist Studies, the Kate Sharpley Library, and World War 3 Illustrated. Series such as Emergent Strategy, edited by adrienne maree brown, broaden the list toward queer Black feminism, transformative practice, and collective political imagination. The Black Dawn series adds speculative fiction with anarchist and radical political themes. A significant organizational change occurred in 2007, when Kanaan and several other members left AK Press and later formed PM Press. AK Press continued operating as a collective publisher and distributor. Its organizational structure is modeled on a worker cooperative: members collectively own the business, reject conventional managerial hierarchy, and make decisions collectively in keeping with anarchist principles. In March 2015, a deadly fire at a warehouse complex in West Oakland damaged the AK Press warehouse. The incident prompted the organization to move its United States base from the Bay Area to Chico, California. The press continued its transatlantic activities, including sales at anarchist book fairs, conferences, activist gatherings, and literary festivals in the United States and United Kingdom. Its catalog also includes pamphlets, periodicals, posters, clothing, buttons, stickers, and related merchandise. In 2020, AK Press became a founding member of the Radical Publishers' Alliance, an international grouping of politically oriented publishers and magazines. This development reflected the press's longstanding role within a wider ecosystem of radical and independent publishing. The available reference material identifies AK Press as an active collective publisher and distributor, but does not provide a complete current membership list, detailed financial information, or a named current executive structure.

1. 2020Founding membership in the Radical Publishers' Alliance

   AK Press joins as a founding member of an international alliance of politically oriented publishers and magazines.

   Source
2. 2015Warehouse fire leads to relocation

   A deadly fire damages AK Press's warehouse in West Oakland, leading the press to relocate its United States operations to Chico, California.

   Source
3. 2007Founding members depart to establish PM Press

   Ramsey Kanaan and several other members leave AK Press and later form PM Press.

   Source
4. 1987AK Press is founded in Stirling

   Ramsey Kanaan establishes AK Press in Stirling, Scotland, initially as a small mail-order distribution outlet.

   Source

A collectively owned, worker-managed independent publisher and distributor serving anarchist, anti-authoritarian, radical-left, and social-movement audiences.

• Classic anarchist textsBooks

  AK Press publishes and distributes editions of foundational anarchist writing associated with Peter Kropotkin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Errico Malatesta, Emma Goldman, Alexander Berkman, and Voltairine de Cleyre. These works provide historical, theoretical, and strategic foundations for the press's broader catalog.

• Radical-left and social-movement booksBooks

  This broad line covers anarchist history, anti-authoritarian politics, labor, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, feminism, anti-racism, prison abolition, environmental movements, and related forms of social-movement analysis. The books are aimed at activists, researchers, educators, and readers outside mainstream political publishing.

• Emergent Strategy SeriesPolitical theory and social practice

  Edited by adrienne maree brown, this series develops ideas associated with emergent strategy, collective transformation, queer Black feminism, community practice, and political imagination. It includes work by writers such as Alexis Pauline Gumbs and Alexis de Veaux.

• Black DawnSpeculative fiction

  Black Dawn is a series of speculative fiction with anarchist, anti-authoritarian, and politically radical themes. The series provides a literary outlet for imagining alternative social arrangements and political futures, with contributors including Margaret Killjoy and adrienne maree brown.

• Pamphlets and periodicalsPrinted publications

  Alongside full-length books, AK Press distributes shorter pamphlets and periodicals that support political education, movement communication, and rapid circulation of ideas. These formats complement the press's book program and its event-based distribution work.

• Movement-related merchandiseMerchandise

  The organization sells selected non-book goods, including clothing, buttons, stickers, posters, and other materials connected with anarchist and social-movement culture.

• 2020Founding participation in the Radical Publishers' AllianceStrategy

  Politically oriented independent publishers and magazines formed an international alliance to strengthen cooperation within radical publishing.

  What changed. AK Press joined the alliance as a founding member.

  Aftermath. The membership connected AK Press to a broader international network of radical publishers and reinforced its position within independent political publishing.

  Source
• 2015Relocation from Oakland to Chico after warehouse fireStrategy

  A deadly fire at a West Oakland warehouse complex damaged AK Press's warehouse and disrupted its Bay Area operating base.

  What changed. AK Press moved its United States base of operations to Chico, California, while retaining its wider United States and United Kingdom distribution activities.

  Aftermath. The relocation became a major point in the organization's operational history. The available material does not quantify the financial or inventory effects of the fire.

  Source

• 2020AK Press joins the Radical Publishers' Alliance as a founding member

  AK Press became a founding member of the Radical Publishers' Alliance, an international association of politically oriented book publishers and magazines.

  M&AOther
  Source
• 2015AK Press warehouse damaged in West Oakland fire

  A deadly fire at a warehouse complex in West Oakland damaged AK Press's warehouse. The organization subsequently relocated its base of operations to Chico, California.

  Other
  Source
• 2007Ramsey Kanaan and other members leave AK Press to form PM Press

  Ramsey Kanaan and several other AK Press members departed the organization and went on to establish PM Press, another independent publisher.

  Leadership changeOther
  Source

1. AK Press