Gay's the Word Logo

[Home Page]
[New Titles] [Gay Fiction] [Lesbian Fiction] [Non Fiction] [Coming Out, Sex & Relationships] [Gay & Lesbian History]
[Transgender] [Biography] [Children's Books] [Notice Board - Lesbian Discussion Group]
[Staff Picks] [Where to find us] [Links]

Divider line

'It's not just a bookshop, but the hub and affirmation of a whole community' - Sarah Waters

Gay's The Word is the UK's pioneering first (and is today the last surviving) lesbian and gay bookshop. Established in 1979 and located in the historic Bloomsbury district of London, we stock an enormous range of books; from the profound to the frivolous, from the liberating to the indulgent. Our fiction ranges from prize-winning literary works through to crime, romance and erotic fiction. Our non-fiction covers a wide range of issues from cutting-edge queer theory through to how to tell your mother you are gay. Our range of queer philosophical, political, historical and other scholarly works is unequalled in the UK. When we recommend a title, it's because we've read it and particularly enjoyed it. We are proudly independent and very much see ourselves as the friendly and non-judgemental safe-space of the gay scene. We are a straight-friendly gay-family business! We have books on gay subject-matter across all genres and also host free book readings and signings.

Forthcoming Events for February
LGBT History Month

Queer Lover's Historical Walk of Bloomsbury Ending at Gay's the Word with a talk by the historical biographer Diana Souhami - Tales of Lesbian Love

Thursday 11th February
Guided walk at 6.15pm, Talk at 7.30pm

Join us on an amorous amble round Bloomsbury and then relax at the shop with a glass of wine while you are regaled with tales of epic lesbian love. What more do you want on a Thursday evening?

Diana Souhami is the author of many highly-acclaimed books: 'Coconut Chaos' (2007), 'Selkirk's Island', 2001 Whitbread Biography Award winner; 'The Trials of Radclyffe Hall' (shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize for Biography, winner of the US Lambda Literary Award); 'Wild Girls: The Lives and Lovers of Natalie Barney & Romaine Brooks; 'Mrs Keppel and Her Daughter'; 'Greta and Cecil', and 'Gluck: Her Biography'.

Free. RSVP required (for both walk and talk). Meeting point information and reservations contact Elaine Kitteringham e.kitteringham@bbk.ac.uk Complimentary refreshments.

Walk Meeting Point Contact: e.kitteringham@bbk.ac.uk

RSVP Required by E-mail: e.kitteringham@bbk.ac.uk

This is a free event...with refreshment provided and all are welcome

Small Divider

(Please note: the correct venue for the Sheila Rowbotham Edward Carpenter event on February 9th as listed in the Camden LGBT History Month brochure is Henderson Court Resource Centre, Hampstead and NOT at Gay's the Word!)

Small Divider

Man's World
Rupert Smith reads from his new historical novel

Thursday 18th February at 7pm

Join the wonderful Rupert Smith for a trip down memory lane...

London today: a world of sex and drugs and designer clothes, where Robert searches for fulfilment in gay clubs.
London 50 years ago: Michael enters a secret queer underworld, negotiating the dangers of the law and the closet.
Past and present collide when Robert moves into a new block of flats, and discovers that history is alive and kicking in his doorstep. Robert keeps a blog - a chronicle of the contemporary gay experience that would have been unthinkable 50 years ago. Michael kept a diary - a secret record of his experiences that could have landed him and his friends and lovers in prison. Two parallel narratives - two generations - two worlds that barely recognise each other. But do Robert and Michael have more in common than they think?

'Funny, dirty, deeply romantic, Man's World is a wonderfully evocative novel that hurtles between now and our recent history in a wild and emotional waltzer ride.' - Jake Arnott

No need to RSVP. This is a free event...with refreshment provided and all are welcome

Small Divider

Heroes and Exiles:
Gay Icons Through the Ages;
Talk by historian Tom Ambrose

Thursday 25th February at 7pm

Join us to hear excepts from this excellent new Gay & Lesbian history book...

Demonised by the Church throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, homosexuals became the scapegoats of society, constantly facing exile or a brutal death. In "Heroes to Exiles", the human cost of this long exile is told through the lives of the most eminent homosexual men and women in history.

Some were artists like the wild living Benvenuto Cellini or the repressed Edward Lear. Others were poets such as Thomas Gray, W. H. Auden or novelists such as Henry James and A. J. Symonds. Their places of refuge changed through the centuries from Italy in the 18th, to Paris in the 19th and Berlin, California and Tangier in the 20th. Some experiences were tragic, like those of William Beckford, Lord Byron or Oscar Wilde, and some were triumphant, like the remarkable story of the Ladies of Llangollen who became the most famous lesbians in Europe. Often treated with outright suspicion, homosexuals were targets for the totalitarian dictatorships of the 20th century. As such they were consigned in their tens of thousands to exile in Siberia or to the Nazi death camps. Even when peace returned after World War II most democracies still proscribed homosexual behaviour, forcing the Americans Paul Bowles and James Baldwin to seek exile in Europe and North Africa. Today the tolerance of Ancient Greece has returned to most Western societies although homosexuals are still persecuted in some Islamic countries such as Iran.

No need to RSVP. This is a free event...with refreshment provided and all are welcome

Small Divider

How to Get Queer!

Gay's The Word is located at 66, Marchmont Street in Bloomsbury, London - just a two minute walk from Russell Square Tube Station. Click on the Transport for London link below to plan your journey.


or bell a bookseller on 0207 278 7654

Small Divider

News & Information

Please will you be our friend? Join the Gay's the Word Facebook group! Click this link to view:

GTW FACEBOOK

The Gay's The Word Documentary is available to view on-line both on YouTube (keyword search 'Gays the Word Documentary) and through the ITV local web-site. For the latter simply click on the Camden area on this link to view:

Gay's The Word Documentary

Gay's the Word is now thirty years old!!! Happy Birthday to us! GTW continues to be as dedicated to the well-being and spread of ideas in the queer community as it was in 1979 when our doors first opened. We are genuinely proud of our part in promoting access to what we believe is some of the most facinating and insightful literature ever produced by some of our most creative and daring minds.

Recently we have enjoyed hosting some excellent book events, including Novelist Ali Smith discussing the work of Tove Jansson and historian Andrew Lear discussing ancient Greece.
. In addition, the long-running and tremendously enjoyable Lesbian Discussion Group that meets every Wednesday at 8pm continues to provide a relaxed and welcoming woman-only space. See the [Notice Board - Lesbian Discussion Group] page for a list of weekly discussion topics.

Small Divider


If you are interested in accessing details of our stock that deals with Queer Youth, Lesbian and Gay Parenting or Children's books that promote diversity please either e-mail us at sales@gaystheword.co.uk, putting your topic of interest plus the word 'Review' in the subject header or, alternatively, give us a ring. We also now have Children's books listed up on this site on the [Children's Books] page.

Small Divider

[Home Page]
[New Titles] [Gay Fiction] [Lesbian Fiction] [Non Fiction] [Coming Out, Sex & Relationships] [Gay & Lesbian History]
[Transgender] [Gay Erotic Fiction] [Children's Books] [Notice Board - Lesbian Discussion Group]
[Staff Picks] [Where to find us] [Links]

Divider Line