WHAT DOES IT mean to be a communist in a town that calls itself the People’s Republic but is these days home to an Abercrombie & Fitch, an Urban Outfitters, and no fewer than five Starbucks outlets? It’s not easy, from the looks of it. Though Revolution Books has been sitting on the outskirts of Harvard Square since 1979, lately it’s having a tough time reconciling its revolutionary ideals with the hard reality of Cambridge’s skyrocketing rents.

So when store manager Jane Sullivan handed me a flier that read, " For several years Revolution Books has been waging a battle against capitalist economics, which routinely and ruthlessly crush small businesses.... People need to step forward now to support Revolution Books — both financially and in the myriad of tasks that cry out to be done, " I felt guilty. I started thumbing through Draft Programme of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, intending to buy it for $4. But then Sullivan sidled up and whispered, " If you really want that, you can find it on the Internet. " Jeez — don’t feel guilty for making a buck!

But such are the store’s ironclad ideals. And we capitalist dogs should perhaps consider parting with a few pennies to keep a place like this alive in increasingly commercialized Harvard Square.

There’s more variety than you might imagine in the store’s selection of agitprop. Ever wanted to read Mao’s Little Red Book in Spanish ($8)? How about a French translation of his military writings ($8)? You’ll feel like Lenin himself poring over the handsomely bound Russian translation of Marx’s Das Kapital (two volumes, $25). And you wouldn’t think a pamphlet titled " Cuba: Evaporation of a Myth " cried out for a Farsi translation, but there it is ($1.50).

Newer progressive thinkers are represented too. Edward Said (Peace and Its Discontents, $10), Noam Chomsky (Profit Over People, $16), and Howard Zinn (A People’s History of the United States, $18) are de rigueur reading for today’s young radicals. Also, check out Peter Matthiessen’s In the Spirit of Crazy Horse ($18), a riveting account of the case of Lakota political prisoner Leonard Peltier. If you’re so moved, shell out $120 for one of the store’s few big-ticket items, an original, framed watercolor portrait of Peltier.

Perhaps you’re all tuckered out after last night’s protest and just want to kick back and watch a flick? Revolution Books rents movies, too, such as Mumia Abu-Jamal: Case for Reasonable Doubt?, Incident at Oglala, and State of Siege. Or, for more star power, check out Marlon Brando in Burn!, the harrowing story of Portuguese colonial oppression ($5 for a week).

Finally, lest you think this store is just about anti-globalization, cultural imperialism, and the blood of the exploited proletariat, bear in mind that these lefties do have a sense of humor. Surf the Web’s more radical corners with the help of a very righteous computer accessory: a bright red Mao pad ($2).

Where to find it:

• Revolution Books, 1156 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 492-5443

Issue Date: September 13 - 20, 2001