Celebrating stories of counter-culture

Through its publication of pamphlets tackling an eclectic range of subjects, Rough Trade Books is giving a voice to the under-represented while reaching new audiences

“What we publish sometimes doesn’t have a home anywhere else,” says Rough Trade Books co-director Nina Hervé. “It’s stories that I feel should be told, and are important to be told, and they’re also ideas.”

Over the past two years, under Hervé’s guidance, Rough Trade Books has released a series of pamphlet editions covering an eclectic set of genres and subjects – Jarvis Cocker speechifying on Brexit, Chilly Gonzales celebrating Enya, and Jen Calleja exploring the significance of goblins, to mention just a few.

Well-known names rub shoulders with up-and-coming writers, often appearing together in the same series. And what ties it all together is Rough Trade Books’ celebration of counter-culture, which Hervé summarises as “anything that’s not mainstream, that’s more of an independent spirit”.

Assorted pamphlets published by Rough Trade Books