Original Spring 1981 & Spring 1982 [Catalogs 1&2] from the "Gay's the Word" Bookshop in London

(LGBTQ) DOREY, Peter; HOLE, Ernest; CUTBILL, Jonathan; et al.

London: Gay's the Word, 1981. First Edition. Original wraps. 5 3/4 X 8 1/4 Inches. Spring, 1981 [68 PP], Spring, 1982 [40 PP]. Near Fine. Item #8578

"Gay’s The Word" is the oldest surviving LGBTQ bookstore in the UK.

The founders of this bookshop met through a social group called Gay Icebreakers. At a time when Gay and Lesbian culture was just starting to explode due to the growth of acceptance, the "Gay's the Word" bookshop opened in the Bloomsbury District of London. From the beginning, the bookshop was used as a community and information resource for lesbians and gay men providing information on gay organisations and forthcoming events. The catalogs of books offered opened up a literary world to those in and out of the closet... As a matter of fact, strangely enough, the reason for the preservation of the three pieces included here was that of bibliography. The "Gay's the Word" catalogs were a bibliographical reference for those looking for books by and about gays and lesbians. These three were preserved by an American visitor to the shop who brought them home.

Lot includes the original Spring, 1981 catalog [#1]; the Spring, 1982 catalog [#2]; and the original Spring, 1981 supplement. These catalogs provide a reference to hundreds of works of interest to the gay community. Available in the shop and via mail order, the "Gay's the Word" bookshop pioneered a hefty mail-order business in this field. Quite scarce in commerce and OCLC locates only "1" example of each.

Price: $300.00