Book Collecting

Merit Publishers

Though it was originally set up for “tax purposes,” Merit Publishers succeeded Pioneer Publishers as the publishing arm of the Socialist Workers Party in 1965. Like Pioneer before and Pathfinder Press after, Merit published of works of Marxist theory and of socialist political analysis and commentary. The houses have also been the principal English-language publishers of writings of Leon Trotsky as well as documentary works on the history of the early years of the Communist International and on the histories of the Fourth International and the SWP. Merit Publishers was superseded by Pathfinder Press in 1969.

First Edition Identification

First editions from Pioneer Publishers have no additional printings listed.