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In 2025 UCL Special Collections celebrates 60 years of collecting small press publications with a series of events and activities.
The collections were developed by Geoffrey Soar, UCL English Librarian, and the initial aim was ambitious: total coverage of UK Little Magazines, along with significant acquisition from Europe, the Commonwealth, and the US. As such, the collection was global in scope from the outset and UCL can boast holdings of rarities from, amongst others, India, Japan, Nigeria, Ghana, Barbados, Jamaica, and Brazil. Alongside the Little Magazines, the Poetry Store now contains a diverse range of independently published works including poetry in all its forms, artists’ books, visual scores, and other experimental, hybrid works that explore the intersection of art and literature. Alternative Press underground newspapers featuring an amalgam of political and cultural commentary record the activities of underrepresented groups and focus on topics such as feminism, Black rights, LGBTQ+ equality, the peace movement, and radical ecology.
Today, the collections extend to approximately 20,000 items in the Poetry Store and 4,500 little magazines and alternative newspapers. The diverse profile evolves in response to an independent publishing scene that continues to promote those not always represented by the mainstream.
Video: "The Small Press Collections at UCL"
A transcript is available via the attachments tab on the video's webpage.
Past events
The revolution will be stencilled! Mimeography and Small Press at UCL
A day of mimeo printing and talks in celebration of 60 years of small press collecting at UCL.
19 February 2025
Surfing the Web: Exploring Networks of African Small Presses, 1960s–70s
In this interactive workshop, participants explored the interconnected world of African small presses from the late 1960s and 70s.
19 March 2025
Colour & Poetry: A Symposium VII
This symposium featured a display of examples of independent poetry publishing from the UCL Small Press Collections, including visual and concrete poetry, performance poetry scores, and poem objects, as well as a talk by Liz Lawes, the Collection Manager of the Small Press Collections, on 60 years of Colour and Poetry in the UCL Small Press Collections.
21-22 March 2025