“We sell socialist books – from children’s stories with a progressive twist to Marxist philosophy,” says bookseller David Sewell. “A lot of our customers are activists looking for knowledge they can bring to campaigns and debates. We’re one of the few bastions of radical bookselling – at least once a week a customer tells me they never knew anywhere like this existed.”

Top five sellers

• A Rebel’s Guide to Martin Luther King Yuri Prasad

• Politics of the Mind: Marxism and Mental Distress Iain Ferguson

• Hope Lies in the Proles: George Orwell and the Left John Newsinger

• Bordered Lives Hsiao-Hung Pai

• A New Politics from the Left Hilary Wainwright

Five recommendations

• Fighting Fascism: How to Struggle and How to Win Clara Zetkin
“A trenchant analysis of the Nazis by the German socialist who launched International Women’s Day.”

• On New Terrain Kim Moody
“A refreshingly optimistic take on changes in the economy.”

• A People’s History of the World Chris Harman
“A towering book that uses Marx’s methods to explain how societies have changed during history.”

• China on Strike: Narratives of Workers’ Resistance Hao Ren, ed. Zhongjin Li and Eli Friedman
“An inspiring look at the class struggle inside the new economic superpower through interviews with factory workers.”

• The Muslims Are Coming: Islamophobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror Arun Kundnan
“A timely warning about the toxic cocktail of racism and state repression behind the Prevent strategy.”

Bookmarks, 1 Bloomsbury St, London WC1B 3QE; bookmarksbookshop.co.uk