LAB's publications
For the past forty years, LAB has published a range of books on social, political, environmental, economic and cultural issues in Latin America.
In 2015, LAB started a new publishing partnership with Practical Action Publishing. All new LAB publications are co-publications with our new partner, who produce, promote, sell and distribute the titles on LAB’s behalf, freeing us to do what we do best: define themes, identify authors, commission, translate (where necessary) and edit wonderful new books.
Meanwhile, Practical Action Publishing has also taken over distribution of all LAB’s in-print books and has digitised well over 100 LAB titles from LAB’s back catalogue. Many are available as e-books, either to individual order, or via a subscription.
For a full list of available titles and to place an order, click here.
Universities, libraries and institutions interested in gaining access to all LAB’s titles can do so (at a very humble price) via Practical Action Publishing’s e-Library. The service is completely tailored, so you could buy access to the entire collection of Practical Action Publishing publications, or to the entire LAB collection, or to five books of your choice, for example. Get in contact for more info.
Latest publications
Crossed Off The Map: Travels In Bolivia by Shafik Meghji
Blending travel writing, history and reportage, Crossed Off The Map journeys from the Andes to the Amazon to explore Bolivia’s turbulent past and contemporary challenges.
It tells the story of the country’s profound and unexpected influence on the wider world over the last 500 years – fragments of history largely forgotten beyond its borders. The book also explores how ordinary Bolivians in and around the world’s highest city, largest salt flat, richest silver mine and most biodiverse national park are coping with some of the touchstone issues of the 21st century: the climate emergency, populism, mass migration, indigenous rights, national identity, rapid urbanisation, and the ‘war on drugs’.
‘Crossed Off The Map is an amazing book. I’ve discovered so much more of my own country through it. It makes you realise the wonder of Bolivia.’
– Sergio Mendoza, journalist for La Nube and Bloomberg News
‘Following in the footsteps of everyone from Che Guevara, conquistadors and colonialists, to Inca pilgrims and even dinosaurs, Meghji is a wonderful travelling companion, bringing to life a Bolivia rarely seen in such bright and beautiful light.’
– Monisha Rajesh, author of Around the World in 80 Trains
Mexico Inside Out by Nick Caistor
This short book (the second in our ‘Inside Out’ country guide series, following on from Brazil Inside Out (2016)) offers an up-to-date analysis of many aspects of life in Mexico today. It includes a look at Mexico’s geography and history; its peoples, economy and cultural life; and the political problems facing the current administration, from drugs violence to severe environmental challenges. President López Obrador has promised to achieve the country’s ‘fourth transformation’: Mexico Inside Out examines what that means and requires. Mexico Inside Out provides an introduction to the country for student and traveller alike, all those who want to know more about the real Mexico than is found in an ordinary guidebook.
‘The richness and complexity of Mexican history, politics and culture made extraordinarily readable without simplification. A great introduction to Mexico.’
– Professor Jenny Pearce, Latin America and Caribbean Centre, London School of Economics
‘A readable and deeply informed guide to contemporary Mexico, its dramas and its beauty.’ – David Lehmann, Centre for Latin American Studies, Cambridge University
Upcoming publications
The Heart of Our Earth: Community Resistance to Mining in Latin America by Tom Gatehouse
A detailed investigation of the impact of this most destructive form of extraction, source of hundreds of conflicts in almost every country in the region as the large multinational mining companies and their local associates bewitch governments with exaggerated or illusory promises of wealth, plunder landscapes, displace local populations, pollute air and drinking water and distort entire economies. Target publication date: June 2022.
Women Resisting Gendered and Intersectional Violence by Cathy McIlwaine, Marilyn Thomson, Jelke Boesten, Patricia Muñoz Cabrera
An intersectional perspective on the different forms of violence against women and girls in Latin America, foregrounding the voices of women survivors and those mitigating gendered and intersectional violence through grassroots organisations and campaigns in the region and in the UK. LAB and King’s College London draw on years of research in order to share ‘best practice’ and influence policy-making, in this accessible, non-academic book. Target publication date: late 2022.
Book websites
LAB is innovative in the form and delivery of news.
Unlike other publishers, LAB creates ‘book websites’ which are regularly updated with multimedia content to extend the scope and lifetime of the books we publish and increase their accessbility.
Voices of Latin America
Voices of Latin America: Social Movements and the New Activism was published in London in January 2019 and in New York (in association with Monthly Review Press) in May 2019. It reaches those curious about visiting, studying or researching the region, and is used as essential reading in undergraduate and post-graduate courses throughout the English-speaking world. The book is accompanied by a special website which has a page for each chapter/theme, with details of the authors, interviewees, references, further reading, videos and the latest news relating to the chapter. A 2021 webinar series updated readers on progress to these campaigns since the publishing date and offered readers the chance to engage with changemakers in Latin America.
The Heart of Our Earth
The Heart of Our Earth: Community Resistance to Mining in Latin America, by Tom Gatehouse, will be published in June 2022. Following a major crowdfunding campaign, the book website provides up-to-date news on mining and resistance to it in the region, told through compelling, straightforward language you don’t need to be an expert to read, as well as impactful videos and images explaining the activities of multinational mining companies in Latin America and the effects on local communities. We hope the book and website will reach students and academics working in disciplines such as geography and development studies; journalists, NGOs, and businesses doing work in the region on mining and other extractive industries; activists, campaigners, and members of social movements everywhere who wish to learn from the Latin American experience; and investors concerned with understanding what their money is used for.
Women Resisting Violence
Women Resisting Gendered and Intersectional Violence explores and celebrates grassroots campaigns and organisations that counter violence against women and girls in Latin America. The project comprises a podcast series, a policy workshop, a book, to be published in 2022, and a website to tie them all together. Here you can find detailed profiles of organisations and campaigns mitigating violence against women, relevant videos, blog posts and news from the region, as well as links to important research from our partners. Given that evidence demonstrates the intersection of gender-based violence against women and girls with many other forms of violence, this project keeps an intersectional perspective and ultimately hopes to positively influence broader policies around violence against women.
Crossed Off The Map – Travels in Bolivia by Shafik Meghji
A journey across Bolivia, from the Andes to the Amazon, explores the country’s turbulent history and current challenges. It tells the improbable – and, outside of South America, largely unknown – story of how Bolivia was once one of the richest places on earth, kickstarted globalisation, influenced the industrial revolution in Europe and dynastic collapse in China, and played host to everyone from rubber barons to Che Guevara. Published 15 March 2022.
To receive free LAB books, consider subscribing to LAB as a Patron. We offer other rewards including exclusive videos and issues of our guest-edited quarterly dispatch, Voz, which conveys the experience and analysis of our partners out in Latin America in long-read articles, as well as books and video content. There are two tiers to choose from: LAB Subscriber (£3.50 a month) and Friend of LAB (£8.50 per month).
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