A.J. West

Independent bookshops are the unsung heroes of queer liberation, providing friendship, solidarity and sanctuary through the ages. 'A terrific read!' Jane Cholmeley, author of A Bookshop of One's Own Travelling from Shakespeare and Company in Paris to Gay's the Word in London to the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop in New York, A.J. West has written the first history of these remarkable spaces. Tracing their evolution from under-the-counter operations to beloved out-and-proud institutions, West reveals how they stood at the vanguard of LGBTQ+ rights, offering support through the AIDS crisis and bringing the fight to Section 28. How Queer Bookshops Changed the World celebrates cherished shops past and present, the ground-breaking books they championed when others wouldn't, and the booksellers who demonstrated courage and community through it all.

It is the year 1710, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost amongst the squalor of London's hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses. Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly's silent guard. When the queen of all 'he-harlots', Mother Clap, confides in him about a deadly threat, he realises his friends are facing imminent execution. To the horror of all mollies, there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices, hell-bent on punishing sinners with the noose. Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before it's too late? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own impossible love? Set amidst the hidden world of Georgian London’s 'gay' scene, The Betrayal of Thomas True is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal…