The supporters undertook these increased efforts as part of the international campaign to boost the circulation of the revolutionary publisher’s titles. Launched in September, the campaign has centered on promoting and selling Pathfinder’s newest book, October 1962: The ‘Missile’ Crisis as Seen from Cuba by Tomás Diez Acosta. North American participants in this efforts aimed to reach a total of 250 visits--discussions with buyers at stores and libraries--by mid- October.

In Vancouver some 25 have been made so far, half of which involved discussions with high school librarians. Of the 50 books sold to bookstores and libraries, 20 have been to high schools.

Among the titles ordered by librarians are To Speak the Truth: Why Washington’s ‘Cold War’ against Cuba Doesn’t End by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, Palestine and the Arabs’ Fight for Liberation by Fred Feldman and Georges Sayad, Fascism and Big Business by Daniel Guerin, and the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels.

Several librarians have also suggested that Pathfinder representatives take the books to curriculum conferences that are attended by many teachers. Taking advantage of this advice, volunteers set up a daylong literature table at the British Columbia Social Studies Teachers Conference in October. Among the several hundred people who attended the event, dozens of teachers were interested to see titles on 20th century history and politics. Several were interested in using New International no. 7, featuring "The Opening Guns of World War III" by Jack Barnes, and Palestine and the Arabs’ Fight for Liberation in their courses.

Books by Malcolm X and Che Guevara speaking directly to young people were prominently displayed and proved attractive. Pathfinder’s practice of presenting major revolutionary leaders in their own words was a strong selling point.

One teacher from the district of 100 Mile House in the interior of British Columbia was enthusiastic about Cosmetics, Fashions, and the Exploitation of Women as a possible aid in classes on the emergence of the movements for women’s suffrage and more recent struggles for women’s liberation. A number signed up for Pathfinder catalogs and recommended future visits to their school librarians.

The volunteers have also notched up some successes in sales efforts at bookstores. Having sold 20 Pathfinder books over the past year, one grocery and video store owner asked the campaigners to provide a special book rack to display the publisher’s titles. As they installed the rack and hung a promotional poster in the store’s front window, a customer perused the catalog and decided to buy three titles.

Steve Penner contributed to this article.  
 
 
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