For Beginners

For Beginners is a publishing company and book brand associated with an illustrated nonfiction series that explains complex subjects through compact, humorous, and highly visual books. The line is commonly described as a series of documentary comic books: it combines explanatory prose, sequential art, caricature, diagrams, and political or cultural commentary rather than following the conventional format of an academic textbook. Its intended readership includes students, general readers, people who describe themselves as non-readers, and those who want an accessible introduction to a subject without undertaking a university course. The brand originated within Writers and Readers Publishing Cooperative, a London-based cooperative established in 1974 by Glenn Thompson, Sian Williams, Richard Appignanesi, Lisa Appignanesi, John Berger, Arnold Wesker, and Chris Searle. The cooperative shared publishing work and profits among its members and also operated a London bookshop. The For Beginners concept drew on Spanish-language educational comic books by Mexican cartoonist and writer Rius, particularly Cuba para principiantes and Marx para principiantes. An English-language edition of the latter, translated and published by Richard Appignanesi in 1976, demonstrated that the format could reach a substantial audience. The early series expanded rapidly. Among its best-known foundational titles were Marx for Beginners, Lenin for Beginners, Freud for Beginners, Einstein for Beginners, and Darwin for Beginners. These books used humor and visual storytelling to make political theory, psychoanalysis, science, and intellectual history less intimidating while retaining a serious educational purpose. The series eventually covered a broad range of topics, including philosophy, economics, politics, history, art, science, religion, and social theory. By the time of Glenn Thompson's death in 2001, more than forty For Beginners titles had been published. The brand's corporate and publishing history was complicated by disputes over control and territorial rights. In the early 1980s, members of the cooperative sold United States rights to part of the series to Pantheon Books. The cooperative formally dissolved in 1984, after which Thompson became the sole publisher in 1987. He moved the operation to New York City, where it operated as Writers and Readers Publishing, Inc., with an ambition to establish an international publishing house in Harlem. Related publishing ventures included Harlem River Press and Black Butterfly Children's Books. A London company, Writers and Readers Limited, was formally established in 1992, and Thompson managed the British and American operations across both countries. A further split emerged when Richard Appignanesi helped establish Icon Books in 1992. Icon republished several earlier For Beginners works and developed a British series called Introducing. The American Writers and Readers operation continued the For Beginners line, sometimes commissioning different authors to create replacement works on subjects also addressed by the British range. As a result, books on the same topic could exist in materially different American and British editions. After Thompson died in London in 2001, the series became difficult to obtain and many titles went out of print. In 2007, a consortium of investors acquired or revived the relevant rights and established For Beginners, LLC. The new company reissued twenty earlier titles and authorized Dada and Surrealism For Beginners as its first new title. It also indicated an intention to publish approximately six to nine new books annually. Later releases included FDR for Beginners in 2010, written by Paul Buhle and Sabrina Jones with an afterword by Harvey Pekar. The current publisher identified in reference material is Dawn Reshen-Doty. The brand's central proposition remains the same: use comics and concise explanation to lower the barrier to serious nonfiction while preserving intellectual breadth.

For Beginners developed from the publishing work of Writers and Readers Publishing Cooperative, founded in London in 1974 by Glenn Thompson, Sian Williams, Richard Appignanesi, Lisa Appignanesi, John Berger, Arnold Wesker, and Chris Searle. The cooperative operated collectively, sharing publishing responsibilities and profits, and maintained a bookshop on Camden High Street until the mid-1980s. The series' creative model was influenced by the Spanish-language books of Mexican cartoonist and writer Rius, especially Cuba para principiantes and Marx para principiantes. These works presented serious political and educational material through cartoons and compact explanations. Richard Appignanesi translated and published Marx for Beginners in English in 1976, and its success established the commercial and editorial template for the subsequent line. Lenin for Beginners followed in 1977, while Freud for Beginners and Einstein for Beginners appeared in 1979 and Darwin for Beginners in 1982. The books addressed demanding subjects through a mixture of illustration, humor, simplified exposition, and documentary narrative. The cooperative's control over the series became contested in the early 1980s, when some United States rights were sold to Pantheon Books. Writers and Readers formally disbanded as a cooperative in 1984. In 1987, Thompson assumed control as sole publisher and relocated the operation to New York City. The New York company, Writers and Readers Publishing, Inc., was based in Harlem, where Thompson hoped to build an international publishing operation and contribute to a new Harlem Renaissance. He also created Harlem River Press for children's poetry and Black Butterfly Children's Books for books aimed at inner-city children. A London counterpart, Writers and Readers Limited, was formally established in 1992, requiring Thompson to manage related operations in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The series also divided along British and American publishing lines. In 1992, Appignanesi co-created Icon Books, which republished some For Beginners titles and continued the concept in Britain under the Introducing name. Writers and Readers continued the American For Beginners line and sometimes commissioned alternative books on subjects already treated by the British publisher. Consequently, different books covering the same subject could circulate in the two markets. Thompson died in London on September 7, 2001. At that point, the company had issued more than forty For Beginners titles. Following his death, the line lost availability and a substantial portion of the backlist went out of print. In 2007, investors revived the property through For Beginners, LLC. The new entity reissued twenty older titles and authorized Dada and Surrealism For Beginners as its first new publication, while announcing an intended schedule of six to nine new issues annually. The later publication FDR for Beginners, released in 2010, demonstrated the continuation of the line under the revived company. Reference material identifies Dawn Reshen-Doty as the current publisher. The brand remains defined by graphic nonfiction that offers approachable entry points into subjects normally associated with higher education or specialist reading.

• 2010

  FDR for Beginners is released

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  Paul Buhle and Sabrina Jones publish a new volume on Franklin D. Roosevelt, with an afterword by Harvey Pekar.

• 2007

  For Beginners, LLC revives the series

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  Investors revive the brand, reprint twenty earlier books, and announce plans for new publications.

• 2001

  Glenn Thompson dies

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  The co-founder and publisher dies in London, after which many titles become unavailable or go out of print.

• 1992

  British and American editions develop along separate paths

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  Richard Appignanesi helps establish Icon Books, which develops the British Introducing line while Writers and Readers continues the American For Beginners series.

• 1987

  Glenn Thompson becomes sole publisher

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  Thompson takes control of the operation and moves the company to New York City.

• 1984

  The publishing cooperative formally disbands

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  After disputes concerning rights and control, Writers and Readers ceases to operate as a cooperative.

• 1982

  Darwin for Beginners is published

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  A major early title extends the format into evolutionary science and natural history.

• 1979

  Freud for Beginners and Einstein for Beginners join the line

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  The series broadens from political theory into psychology and science.

• 1977

  Lenin for Beginners is published

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  The early list expands with an illustrated introduction to Lenin and revolutionary political history.

• 1976

  Marx for Beginners establishes the English-language format

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  Richard Appignanesi publishes an English edition of Marx for Beginners, helping demonstrate the appeal of illustrated introductions to complex subjects.

• 1974

  Writers and Readers Publishing Cooperative is founded

  [1]For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org

  Glenn Thompson and six other writers, editors, and cultural figures establish the London-based cooperative from which the For Beginners publishing line later emerges.

Accessible, visually driven educational publishing that translates difficult subjects into concise introductions for students and general readers, including readers who may not normally choose conventional nonfiction.

• Political theory and philosophy · 1976

  Marx for Beginners

  The title that established the English-language For Beginners format, presenting Karl Marx's life, ideas, and historical context through cartoons and concise explanatory text. Its success showed that a visually structured introduction could make difficult political and economic theory accessible to students and general readers.

• Political history · 1977

  Lenin for Beginners

  An illustrated introduction to Vladimir Lenin, revolutionary politics, and the historical setting of the Russian Revolution. It belongs to the early political core of the series and applies the brand's combination of sequential art, historical explanation, and accessible commentary.

• Psychology · 1979

  Freud for Beginners

  A graphic introduction to Sigmund Freud and the development of psychoanalysis. The book extends the series beyond political subjects and uses visual explanation to introduce psychological concepts, Freud's biography, and the intellectual debates surrounding his work.

• Science · 1979

  Einstein for Beginners

  An illustrated guide to Albert Einstein and the scientific ideas associated with him. It demonstrates the series' effort to explain challenging scientific material through a short, visually led format rather than through a conventional technical textbook.

• Biology and natural history · 1982

  Darwin for Beginners

  A graphic introduction to Charles Darwin, evolution, and the historical development of evolutionary thought. Published during the formative period of the series, it helped establish the brand's broad subject range across science, history, and intellectual biography.

• Art history · 2007

  Dada and Surrealism For Beginners

  The first newly authorized title released after the 2007 revival of the brand. It applies the For Beginners format to the Dada and Surrealist movements, introducing their artists, ideas, historical contexts, and deliberately unconventional approaches to art and culture.

• Biography and political history · 2010

  FDR for Beginners

  A graphic biography and historical introduction to Franklin D. Roosevelt by Paul Buhle and Sabrina Jones, with an afterword by Harvey Pekar. Its publication in 2010 represented a later continuation of the revived For Beginners list.

• 2007

  Backlist revival and new publishing programStrategy

  Background

  After Glenn Thompson's death, many For Beginners books had become out of print or difficult to find.

  Action taken

  A consortium of investors established or acquired For Beginners, LLC, restored twenty earlier titles, and announced an intended schedule of six to nine new books each year.

  Aftermath

  The line returned to active publication with Dada and Surrealism For Beginners and later FDR for Beginners.

  Source

• 1992

  Separate British Introducing line is developedStrategy

  Background

  Richard Appignanesi, an early editor and contributor to the original series, co-created Icon Books after the earlier cooperative structure had fragmented.

  Action taken

  Icon Books republished selected For Beginners titles and expanded a British counterpart under the Introducing brand, while Writers and Readers continued its own American editions.

  Aftermath

  Some subjects received different books in the British and American ranges, creating parallel versions rather than a single unified international list.

  Source

• 1987

  Relocation and conversion to sole-publisher controlStrategy

  Background

  Following the cooperative's dissolution and disputes over rights, Glenn Thompson sought to secure control over the series and prevent unauthorized distribution.

  Action taken

  Thompson became sole publisher and moved the operation from London to New York City, establishing a Harlem-based publishing presence.

  Aftermath

  The company continued the American For Beginners line while related British editions later developed through Icon Books under the Introducing name.

  Source

1. 1For Beginnersen.wikipedia.org
2. 2For Beginners Books official websiteforbeginnersbooks.com