# Gay History books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052 "2005-03-24T16:02:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052/1 "2005-03-24T16:02:47Z")
I have a $100 gift certificate to spend on Amazon! I’m especially fascinated by GLBT history, and have read seemingly everything (all of Kramer and Shilts’ stuff, all the Gay Metropolist and Gay New York type books, etc). Anyone have any suggestions on recently published stuff in this genre? ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052/2 "2005-03-24T16:23:54Z")
Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy is an excellent and accessible book about a very interesting woman. ---
**Author:** ![Ultraviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c77e96/32.png) [@Ultraviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ultraviolet)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052/3 "2005-03-24T16:31:42Z")
Have you read Lillian Faderman? She has written a couple of excellent lesbian histories. Well researched, and very interesting. I particularly recommend **Odd girls and twilight lovers : a history of lesbian life in twentieth-century America**. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052/4 "2005-03-24T17:39:39Z")
[Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the 14th Century](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0226067114/103-6744365-1618267) by John Boswell is incredibly informative. Dry as dust in places, but very informative. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052/5 "2005-03-24T18:18:15Z")
[Gay Book of Days](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0818403845/qid=1111689466/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-1725752-8785517?v=glance&s=books). Good read. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052/6 "2005-03-24T22:04:21Z")
[Completely Queer](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805060316/qid=1111702896/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-0796958-8448633?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) is a good general encyclopedia of gay history (if your gift cert. is good for used items you can get it really cheaply). It will introduce you to Mattachine Society, Harlem Renaissance gays, etc… [And the Band Played On](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312241356/qid=1111702966/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-0796958-8448633?v=glance&s=books) is considered the definitive history of the gay movement in the early days of AIDS [Here’s](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/2UW3U2VLSYO1T/ref=cm_lm_lists/103-0796958-8448633) a good list compiled by an Amazon user of hyperlinked gay history titles. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052/7 "2005-03-24T22:05:47Z")
Oh, and of course no gay history collection is complete without [this DVD](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005AWR9/qid=1111703149/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-0796958-8448633?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846) (the most _fabulous_ documentary on movies ever made). ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052/8 "2005-03-24T22:23:59Z")
**Warriors of God** - Richard The Lionheart & Saladin In The Third Crusade. By: Jim Reston ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052/9 "2005-03-25T00:21:01Z")
Michael Young’s _King James and the History of Homosexuality_ is pretty good and was published about five years ago… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gay-history-books/296052/10 "2005-03-25T00:22:43Z")
History is actually a rather depressing subject . . . oh. Never mind.