How Queer Bookshops Changed the World

For over a century, LGBTQ+ bookshops have been the unsung heroes of queer liberation


Home not only to books but chaotic community noticeboards, vicious rescue cats and countless meet cutes, queer bookshops have always been more than just bookshops, offering friendship, solidarity and sanctuary.


Travelling the world – Shakespeare and Company in Paris, Gay’s the Word in London, the Oscar Wilde Bookshop in New York – A. J. West explores the remarkable history of these bookstores. Tracing their evolution from under-the-counter operations to beloved out-and-proud institutions, West reveals how the queer bookshop stood at the vanguard of LGBTQ+ rights, offering support and vital information through the AIDS crisis and bringing the fight to Section 28 and book bans.


A powerful testament not only to bookshops but to the courage of queer booksellers, from Sylvia Beach hiding books from the Nazis in laundry baskets to Craig Rodwell facing off against the police at the Stonewall riots, A. J. West celebrates the shops and booksellers that brought queer literature and lives into the mainstream.

'I have savoured every chapter, practically every sentence... a testament to the small, unsung acts of love and perseverance that have allowed gay bookshops to flourish in different times and places, and to change lives.' —James Cahill, author of Tiepolo Blue

'A beautiful browse through spines of rebellion and shelves of acceptance – the vitality of the radicalism of the bookshop is perfectly captured and inspirational.' —Robin Ince, co-host of BBC Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage

'A terrific read! Widely researched and full of fascinating information and a goodly sprinkling of gossip (essential) it tells the stories of brave pioneer booksellers who created our health and information centres, our culture and our communities. Queer bookshops are places of refuge and resistance, groundbreaking then and necessary now – just as much. We must know our history and this is a vital contribution told with passion and panache.' —Jane Cholmeley, author of A Bookshop of One's Own

'A crucial history of love, struggle, solidarity and liberation, vividly brought to life and written from the heart.' —Jake Arnott, author of The Long Firm

'A gem of a book. It reads like a travel guide, a memoir, and a conversation by the fireside. It’s a celebration of the importance of books - and of the people who love them.' —Gareth Russell, author of Queen James

'What a vital, life-affirming book this is. A.J. West is the perfect guide to a history of the most important queer space of them all: the bookstore. Without self-knowledge and without community, we’re screwed – and West shows just how vital queer bookshops have been to both.' —Will Tosh, author of Straight Acting

'This is a unique and important book. A fascinating history – both expansive and intimate – told with the novelist’s flair. I’m overwhelmed by the many stories of determined heroism and personal sacrifice A.J. uncovers. This is a really brilliant work which any queer person (or ally) ought to read.' —Christopher Stephens, author of The Light of Day

'A glorious celebration of queer bookshops and their place in our community. Delightful.' —Jim McSweeney, bookseller at Gay's the Word since 1984