Charles Lahr

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Charles Lahr (1885 - 1971) was a German-born anarchist, London bookseller and publisher.

He was born Carl Lahr at Bad Nauheim in the Rhineland, and left Germany in 1905 to avoid military service. In London he encountered the anarchist Guy Aldred (1886-1963), while working as a baker. He joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1914; at that time he had a bookshop in Hammersmith.

In 1915 he was interned for four year as an enemy alien in Alexandra Palace. In 1920-21 he was briefly a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. In 1921 he took over the Progressive Bookshop, in Red Lion Square, Holborn. From there he would branch out into publishing, and establish many literary friendships (including H. E. Bates, Rhys Davies, T. F. Powys).

He married in 1922 Esther Argeband (at that time Archer), whom he had met at the Charlotte Street Socialist Club, of a British Jewish family (Lahr was not Jewish). They were close friends of William Roberts, the artist, and his wife, and William's portrait of Esther is in the Tate Gallery.

From 1925 to 1927 Lahr published The New Coterie literary and artistic magazine. In 1931 he founded the Blue Moon Press, a small press.

In subsequent misfortunes Lahr was convicted in 1935 on a charge of receiving stolen books, and served a prison term. The bookshop was bombed in 1941. He moved its premises several times in London.

He died in London.

There is substantial further information on Charlie Lahr in a book authored by his daughter Sheila. This is called 'Yealm' and can be read in its entirety on the Militant Esthetix website, run by Lahr's granddaughter Esther Leslie.