On the Other Hand

Y Lolfa was established in the mid-sixties, an exciting period of fun and protest. The company acted as unofficial printers to the new, activist Welsh Language Society, while also producing its own irreverent brand of popular and political material, including the satirical magazine Lol (meaning 'fun' or 'nonsense'), from which the company's name was derived. The company evolved gradually, producing an ever widening range of popular books in both Welsh and English. Meanwhile, it embraced new technologies. In the sixties it revelled the artistic freedom offered by photo-litho and in the nineties welcomed the digital revolution and was the first Welsh publishing company to have a website. Y Lolfa now has five-colour and perfector presses with half its turnover coming from commercial print work. In a world dominated by large corporations and bureaucracies, Y Lolfa believes that 'small is beautiful' in publishing as in life. It was Andre Gide who said, "I like small numbers. I like small nations. The world will be saved by the few.

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