Our Bodies, Ourselves
New England Free Press
Each press run sold out quickly and the price eventually stabilized at 30¢ per copy, less if bought in bulk.
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The Free Press printed and distributed a list of about 200 pamphlets on civil rights, the Vietnam War, worker's history and much more. The largest category and the best selling was the women's liberation section.
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The press was distributing tens of thousands of such articles as "The Politics of Housework" by Pat Mainardi and "Sex Roles and Female Oppression" by Dana Densmore. These and the other 20 or so titles on the list were often bought in bulk, 25 or 50 at a time. Women bought them to give to others and organized groups ordered even more.
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The women's movement was in high gear and the women who wrote these articles were some of the movement's thought leaders. The Free Press's role was to dis
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Free Press provided some organizing
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It was a natural fit. This essential book was needed all over the country and the Free Press regularly distributed women's literature all over the country
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The first edition was typed. For the second, finally called "Our Bodies, Ourselves", Don McKelvey typeset the copy at a neighboring print shop in the same building as the Free Press
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There was a disagrement when the BW collective decided to publish with Simon & Schuster. Here are the two letters that appeared in the last Free Press editions of OBOS.