DK The LGBTQ History Book Big Ideas Simply Explained (DK Big Ideas).

Big Ideas Simply Explained

by D.K. Publishing

Discover the rich and complex history of LGBTQ+ people around the world - their struggles, triumphs, and cultural contributions.Exploring and explaining the most important ideas and events in LGBTQ+ history and culture, this book showcases the breadth of the LGBTQ+ experience. This diverse, global account explores the most important moments, movements, and phenomena, from the first known lesbian love poetry of Sappho to Kinsey's modern sexuality studies, and features biographies of key figures from Anne Lister to Audre Lorde.Dive deep into the pages of The LGBTQ + History book to- Thought-provoking graphics and flow-charts demystify the central concepts behind key moments in LGBTQ+ history, from eromenos and erastes in the Ancient World to political lesbianism.- Features insightful quotes from leading historians, philosophers, cultural commentators, economists, anthropologists, sociologists, activists, and politicians.- Includes biography boxes and directory entries on the lives of important but lesser-known individuals, alongside well-known names including Sappho, Oscar Wilde, Anne Lister, Harvey Milk, and Marsha P. Johnson.- Global in scope with a localizable directory.The LGBTQ+ History Book celebrates the victories and untold triumphs of LGBTQ+ people throughout history, such as the Stonewall Riots and first gender affirmation surgeries, as well as commemorating moments of tragedy and persecution, from the Renaissance Italian "Night Police" to the 20th century "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. The book also includes major cultural cornerstones - the secret language of polari, Black and Latine ballroom culture, and the many flags of the community - and the history of LGBTQ+ spaces, from 18th-century "molly houses" to modern "gaybourhoods".The LGBTQ+ History Book celebrates the long, proud - and often hidden - history of LGBTQ+ people, cultures, and places from around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, LGBT, Queer, Gender and Sexuality, Audiobook, Gender

336 pages, Hardcover

Published April 6, 2023

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wonderful cover caught my eye at the library and I just had to take it home. Inside, I discovered well organized information, a visually stunning layout, easy to read text, and I appreciated having the "In Context" column that provides a timeline of major events for each topic.

My conclusion: it's a great book with comprehensive information on LGBTQ+ history that has earn a place in my personal library.

[Barbra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading for all. Spoiler alert: LGBTQ+ has been around and natural and normal FOREVER… it’s just privileged Christian dudes in power who keep trying to criminalize and demonize it - in order to keep said power.

[Erikka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written, researched, illustrated, and annotated. I loved the inclusive language that showed careful consideration and sensitivity, the validation of all sexualities and genders, and the intersectionality and global representation. I loved the organization method selected (chronological but also color coded for different specific subsets of history like identities and queer theory), the "before and after" sections that helped contextualize events, and the inclusion of real people's stories that brought the history to life instead of just a basic description of events. Including humanity in history always makes it more "real". Finally, I like how there was nothing more or less important--the history of the LGBTQIAP+ community involves all people, all walks of life, all levels of acceptance, and all the people who came before and will come after. It is not a simple history--it is a complex one and one that is not taught as much as it should be. What a great way to start pride month!!

[♡Matty♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and very interesting, I like how they really do compress big concepts into bite sizes!

[ᛚᚨᚱᚲᚨ × ᚠᛖᚾᚱᛁᚱ (Semi hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeping in mind it was my first book on the subject, I found it well done.

Historically, it ranges from the earliest evidence for LGBTQ+ people (although we can’t call them with modern terms today, for the different understanding they had of it), to the modern era. It can be read either from beginning to end, or jumping according to one’s preferences – there is a list of related chapters at the end of each one of them. This makes for a dinamic and personalized experience, without losing yourself in the content of the book.

The forementioned content is a lot (and I mean: A LOT) without being overwhelming. I had to take some breaks from time to time, but it’s due to how informative this book is – rarely a defect.

The other reason I had to take breaks was the punch in the guts that hits you in some parts. It’s amazing (and I don’t mean in a positive way) how you simply knew but never fully realized how dark the times the LGBTQ+ community had to go through really were, not being part of it. And I was so pissed to learn that some knowledge was willfully kept from me at school, for whatever reason.

I would suggest this book to anybody wanting to know more, but I would also probably suggest it to newbies particularly, to get a general idea. Just take the time it needs!


More at Inky Lighthouse

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for Pride month, this is a beautifully produced book - as are all the publications in this series from DK.

It's extremely readable; you can dip in and out very easily with many topics being covered across a single two-page spread. It's bang up to date with references from 2022. Despite being a UK publication, it is refreshingly broad in its coverage of cultures and civilisations from all around the world.

As a 50-something with a personal interest in queer history, I thought I was quite well-informed but I learned an enormous amount from this book. The breadth of information is astounding but presented so well that it's not at all intimidating to the reader.

[Adam Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific source of LGBT+ history and a superb place to start for people who want to learn about it.

My only downside is a personal preference: because this is a reference book, it's factual and not about emotions. Some of LGBT+ NEEDS emotion to speak about. I don't need to hear that marriage equality is "controversial" - it needs to be on record that homophobia, transphobia etc. is OBJECTIVELY wrong.

Oh and the lovely narrator is a bonus!

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book. I liked that it covered ideas, events, and people from all over the world and not just the U.S. The most surprising thing I learned was how many centuries-old cultures besides the Greeks had old man/adolescent boy relationships! 😟

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very well researched. It spans millennia, continents, cultures, and religions on top of how race affects LGBTQ+ lives. I think it gives great insight and details into a lot of different LGBTQ+ events and people. Highly recommend. I learned a lot.

[Jonathan Hoyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a lot more detailed and nuanced than I initially thought it was going to be. If you're ever looking for a definitive queer history book, this is the one.

[Noe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a while but I real enjoyed reading few chapters here and there post work. Loved the format of this book and the way it made me side eye religions even more as a community member? Yeaaaaaaah

[Maddie Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Factual, amazing book that doesn’t shy away from the horrors of LGBTQ history. An insightful read that will be very useful in my degree I think. The media sections where very interesting to me. Some of the graphics where a bit harsh on the eye, but that didn’t take away from the quality of the information. All around a good and very interesting read.

[Randy Chronister · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great version of LGBTQ+ history. Definitely worth the read.

[Anthony Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for a quick look at queer history. The audio version is not the easiest to listen to due to the way the material is laid out in subsections and timelines.

[Feirodenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me be clear about this book: it is AMAZING! Very densely informed, everything is clearly explained and not oversimplified but accessible to those who don’t know the subject well. It’s beautifully illustrated and the diagrams help to understand complicated concepts better. The writers tried not to be Eurocentric and the chapters are dedicated to different parts of the world and to different cultures. It is also intelligently organised through chronology and themes at the same time.

BUT there are also very big gaps in the book… I know that it’s hard to write about this kind of broad subject, and that we can’t be exhaustive in this type of book format. However, I found this book so well done that I thought it was a pity that certain key subjects in LGBTQ+ history were not covered. I give you here four topics that are definitely missing for me in this book…
-My biggest surprise was to not read a word about YAOI! Some sections talk about modern history of China, India, Thailand… but not a world about modern Japan, about the iconic writer Yukio Mishima, and above all about these gay romance manga genres that flourished in the 1970s!! What about the shounen-ai, the yaoi and mangakas like Moto Hagio and Keiko Takemiya. What about shoujo-ai, esu and yuri? What about the bara and the famous Gengoroh Tagame? Nowadays it’s not anymore only a Japanese art, Boy’s love (BL) is internationally renowned, and you can find yaois in bookshops all around the world! It’s one of the most widely read genres in Korean webtoons! This gap was very surprising for me…
-I was disappointed to not read a word about the marquis de Sade! It would have been nice to mention it in the pornography chapter, or maybe even add a chapter about libertinism (libertinage) in the 17th and 18th centuries. Most of writers from this philosophical movement were queer (Gassendi, Cyrano de Bergerac, Théophile de Viau, John Wilmot….), they promoted freedom of thought and liberation from religious and moral dogmas, and they wrote libertine novels, plays and poetry with gay characters.
-An other surprise, the writers beautifully wrote about the lesbian identities (butch and femme), but nothing about what we call today “gay tribes”. I am thinking especially about the history of the bear community and the rejection of gay beauty standards, and how it started in the 1980s in magazines like Bear magazine, etc. These tribes became mainstream through meeting apps like Grindr, and these apps changed queer sociability.
-And last key subject, but I was not surprised to not find it in this book because we don’t talk a lot about it in general and it can be quite controversial: the history of scientific discoveries about sexual orientation in biology, like the discovery of homosexual relations in the animal world by ethologists and primatologists, the controversy of the “gay gene” in the 1990s, and the more complex and nuanced theories of modern endocrinology and genetics (importance of prenatal hormones and genetic predisposition).

These topics were, I think, the big gaps of the book. I thought of other topics, less important, and I can understand that the writers didn’t talk about it, they had to make choices for having a reasonable size book and keeping it accessible… But I put here my ideas, and I hope it could help for a possible expanded reprint.
-I think the first parts about Antiquity are definitely too Eurocentric, and even too centered on Greco-Latin culture. It would have been nice to have a big chapter about same-sex relations and gender fluidity in the world mythologies. Egyptian and Mesopotamian legends are briefly evoked. But what about gender variance of Hindu deities? We could also talk about: the figure of Tu Er Shen in Taoist legends, the gay couple of Shinu no Hafuri and Ama no Hafuri and the homoerotic desire of Amaterasu in Japanese mythology, the third-gender representation in American mythologies (the Maya god Chin, the Inuit creator deity Sedna…), the Aztec god of male prostitutes Xochipilli, the queer figure of Loki in Norse mythology. It would also have been nice to talk about the sexual freedom of Celts mentioned by Aristotle and Strabo, and the mythical couples of Gilfaethwy and Goewin (two men changed in animals, one male and the other female, and giving birth!), Brigid and Darlughdacha… There are a lot of things to say about non Greek mythologies, that’s why it would have deserved its own 4 pages chapter.
-It would have been nice to explain somewhere the etymology of the world “buggery” which is related to the Bulgarian heresy bogomilism.
-A chapter about cultures of Polynesia would have been great, for talking about the fa’afafine, the androgynous aboriginal rainbow serpent god Ungud, the queer gods of Hawaiian and Tahitian mythologies, etc. The Takatapui chapter is amazing, but I think the other cultures of the regions deserve to be at least mentioned as it was made for Africa because they all have a unique vision of gender and sexuality, and had to face as well colonial ideologies.
-Some chapters are lesbocentric for no reason: in the pornography chapter, why mostly only talk about lesbian sex and not mention male gay sex (especially Sade)? Why talk only about lesbians in the french Belle époque? The emerging gay neighborhoods were not only lesbian, there were also male gay cafés and hotels, not to mention the iconic gay couple of poets Rimbaud and Verlaine…
-Last point: The writers talked about literature, art and cinema, but almost nothing about video games (They only mentioned Caper in the Castro in the small paragraph dedicated to representation p177). A little page about the emergence of LGBTQ+ gameplay in video games would also have been great. The Sims added for the first time the possibility of same-sex love and marriage in video games in 2000, and it’s becoming a natural feature nowadays in RPGs (Fable, Skyrim, Stardew Valley…). The Nintendo game Animal Crossing even changed the character customization option “gender” to “style” in 2020.
It could even have been an entire chapter dedicated to representation in medias, especially series, comics and video games a bit absent in this book. It could also have been an opportunity to mention gay pulp fictions.

I know that this book doesn’t claim to be exhaustive, and rather is supposed to popularize the subject. That’s why I didn’t put a lot of famous historical gay figures in my suggestions, because we could list a hundred of them (heroes, kings and queens, artists, writers, scientists, philosophers, adventurers...). I preferred to focus on these important periods, changes and themes related to LGBTQ+ history: creation of yaoi, creation of bear community and meeting app culture, libertinism, science discovery, original myths, cultural diversity, changing representations in medias.

After this long suggestion review, we could think that I didn’t like the book: it’s quite the opposite! I loved it so much that I couldn’t accept these gaps! And as a perfectionist, I had to write what I would have added in this book for being perfect! But I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about LGBTQ+ history! I learned a lot of things thanks to it, and it’s definitely a must in my bookshelf.

[Katie Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely perfect resource! Definitely buying a copy to keep in my classroom.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

DK Publishing (2023) THE LGBTQ+ HISTORY BOOK
London. DK Publishing

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars

The sleeve reads, "DISCOVER THE RICH AND COMPLEX HISTORY OF LGBTQ+ PEOPLE around the world - their struggles, triumphs, and cultural contributions.
Exploring and explaining the most important ideas and events in LGBTQ+ history and culture, this book showcases the breadth of the LGBTQ+ experience. This diverse, global account explores the most important moments, movements, and phenomena, from the first known lesbian love poetry of Sappho to Kinsey's modern sexuality studies, and features biographies of key figures from Anne Lister to Audre Lorde.
DIVE DEEP INTO THE PAGES OF THE LGBTQ + HISTORY BOOK TO DISCOVER:
- Thought-provoking graphics and flow-charts demystify the central concepts behind key moments in LGBTQ+ history, from eromenos and erastes in the Ancient World to political lesbianism.
- Features insightful quotes from leading historians, philosophers, cultural commentators, economists, anthropologists, sociologists, activists, and politicians.
- Includes biography boxes and directory entries on the lives of important but lesser-known individuals, alongside well-known names including Sappho, Oscar Wilde, Anne Lister, Harvey Milk, and Marsha P. Johnson.
- Global in scope with a localizable directory.
The LGBTQ+ History Book celebrates the victories and untold triumphs of LGBTQ+ people throughout history, such as the Stonewall Riots and first gender affirmation surgeries, as well as commemorating moments of tragedy and persecution, from the Renaissance Italian 'Night Police' to the 20th century 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' policy. The book also includes major cultural cornerstones - the secret language of polari, Black and Latine ballroom culture, and the many flags of the community - and the history of LGBTQ+ spaces, from 18th-century 'molly houses'to modern "gaybourhoods".
The LGBTQ+ History Book celebrates the long, proud - and often hidden - history of LGBTQ+ people, cultures, and places from around the world."
=====
FINALLY FINISHED THIS! Started in January, that's how much history is in this. Lays out that progress isn't linear so there's much to stay hopeful about.
=====
#DKPublishing #TheLGBTQHistoryBook #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads

[Robert Alvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first began reading this book, I posted that I had never before seen a book in my local library that I wanted to own. Until this one.

This library copy of "The LGBTQ+ History Book" is part of the "Big Ideas Simply Explained" Series of book by DK Publishing; by the way, the "DK" stands for "Dorling Kindersley. In addition, this is the first American edition, as DK Publishing is located in the United Kingdom, and was published May, 2023. This copy has 338 pages, including end pages.

As a Gay man, and as a member of the LGBTQ+ Community, I was amazed by this book. There was so much history I learned, so much I had forgotten, so much I wanted to forget, and so much that impressed me, both as a Gay man and as a human being.

The book goes from the Ancient World (Egypt, Sumeria, Greece, etc.) to the modern day United States and United Kingdom.

Chapters on Transgender people, Non-Binary people, especially in Indigenous cultures, Bisexuals, as well as other kinds of -sexuals. There were passages that I reread either because I had never heard of those individuals or occurrences before, or because I had remembered reading about them or even experiencing them when I was younger.

I also enjoyed the "Directory" section, for entries about people who were not able to be included in the main part of this LGBTQ+ History book, such as Benedetta Carlini (and yes, I look forward to watching the 2021 film "Benedetta" about her life) as well as Alan Turing.

The "Glossary" was also helpful, as there were some terms, such as alloromantic and allosexual, which were unfamiliar to me, prior to reading this book.

I was especially impressed by the number of academics and scholars who were consulted in the creation of this book, and even more impressed that they were not all old white men. And if you are a Republican, or as I have been saying these days, republiKKKan, then you know exactly what I mean by that statement.

If you are a member of the LGBTQ+ Community, such as yours truly, you owe it to yourself to read this book. If you are an LGBTQ+ Ally, you also owe it to your Allyship to read this book.

For now, I cannot wait to own my own copy, because I have my favorite passages, chapters and sections.

[Meaningless · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars for enjoyment, 5 stars for the content it contains.

This book provides very useful information in understanding the current queer movement, and a cultural studies of queerness in non-Western continents and across time; how attitudes about sexuality changed in the West from the ancient more liberal pagan attitudes to the contempt-orary more conservative monotheistic attitudes.
The villain(s) of this story is really the (Holy Roman) Catholic Church. Christian ideology DESTROYED any semblance of nuanced discussions/feelings about sodomy/homosexuality. While I really enjoyed the first part of the book, where it felt more happy and exploratory, once the Church came into the picture, reading the book felt more dreary and painful.

The lessons, mental frameworks, and current cultural contexts you'll learn in this book is INVALUABLE, this ranks in my lower middle ranking of enjoyment out of these Big Ideas Simply Explained (BISE) books, and I've read/reading most of them! Maybe if I was more queer, probably ranking 1 on the Kinsley Scale - which you'll learn what that means in this book - then I'd relate more and find more comfort in it. What I did find comfort in, is understanding more about my pan-, a-, bi-, homo- sexual and transgender friends, family, and acquaintances. I'll admit, there is an air of transphobia in some of my social circles and within myself, which I sought to challenge by reading this book. And I feel like I have a lot more respect and sympathy for them through humanizing who they are! <3

This is condensed in history and terminology - many of which have been coined within the 21st century. An absolutely wonderful book to colorize the world we live in ^^

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

The LGBTQ+ History Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by Michael Bronski (ed.) and Jon Astbury (DK Publishing 2023) (306.7609) (4076).

This is an excellent work and a well-prepared and executed book. It was enthusiastically commended by the gay people in my life, and they are in a better position to pass judgement on this volume than am I. This book strikes me as an important “brick” in the foundational literature of the LGBTQ+ movement and one in which the community should rightfully take pride (no pun intended).

This combines the best parts of a history book with brief sketches of famous queer people both past and present. It also introduces the principal issues and ideas important to the gay community. The volume exhibits the typical DK Publishing treatment, so it is a splashy and colorful work with multiple pictures or images on every page. In the hands of the DK editors, there is always something new to discover, and that fits this topic to a tee.

I highly recommend this as a source of information for curious readers. I can only imagine how important and affirming this book must be for readers who for the first time found inclusion beneath the rainbow umbrella.

My rating: 7/10, finished 7/26/25 (4076).

[Jenni V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know how encyclopedias are important (maybe less so now with the Internet but I'm still a paper book fan) but you don't sit down and read one from cover to cover? That's how I feel about this book. My reservations have nothing to do with content and everything to do with structure.

On one hand it's a great resource for someone looking for information about a topic. On the other hand a reader wouldn't get the book's full potential without delving in because there's such a wide variety of topics that readers wouldn't have even thought of.

This book is part of a series called "Big Ideas Simply Explained" and I think the explanations may be a little too simple. It's great to have digestible, accessible information but branching in so many directions in a 300+ page book leads to surface-level book report fact recitation.

I love to see it in our library and I hope people pick it up but I also can't say I loved it as a book to read.

This didn't make any sense. Also, I admit it...I read encyclopedias cover to cover as a kid.

Find all my reviews at: https://readingatrandom.blogspot.com

[Kristi Starmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

information overload in a good way

Reading is knowledge and knowledge is power. This summer I was able to spend time and bond with a young person who is trying to find themselves. As we adventure downtown Omaha a bond of trust was opened and they were able to really open up to me. At one point we entered Aurban Abbey and I was mentioning books I had read. They happened to pick this book up and their face glowed. Knowing their parents wouldn’t mind I offered to buy this book for them and got a copy for myself in case there was anything they would want to discuss. It did take me a couple months to finish just because it was set up in a form that made it easy to read little by little and take in all the info. It’s a book I am super glad I read learning so much. I will keep it around as a reference in the future.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a highly comprehensive guide of LGBTQ+ history. I found this title from a tiktok creator who is a queer historian. This is a book she recommended as a thorough and unbiased look at queer history. I have to agree. for the majority (like 95%) of this book, the facts are laid out very plainly without agenda. The book is definitely lengthy, and could be read to reference shorter articles to learn about certain aspects of the LGBTQ community. Or, you can read it cover to cover, like I did. If you are someone looking to understand the long history of the queer community, this is a really great resource. 4.5/5

[Ralph Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

As it’s Pride Month, I thought it was the perfect time to learn. As a straight person, it’s not my right to demand acceptance from the LGBTQ+ community. It’s their space. Their rules. Their sanctuary. I support the LGBTQ+ community and do not wish them any animosity. I do my best to advance their cause wherever I go. If I’m in a city where there is a Pride parade, I feel much safer; safe, that is, in the knowledge this is a tolerant place. I plan on going to a Drag Queen event later this month and warmly shaking the hands of those performing and maybe, if they’ll let me, giving out hugs.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This VERY comprehensive book covers the history of LGBTQ+ people throughout history. The book begins in ancient times and goes from there into the modern age. The book would take me weeks to read cover to cover, so I read various articles throughout but learned a great deal. This is a good book for anyone interested in gender studies and wanting to learn about the sad and vast history of LGBTQ people.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book can be quite overwhelming due to its comprehensiveness. At the same time this is definitely one of its assets. What you can easily learn is just that queer people have always been part of society and that there have been many attempts to marginalize people of the queer community. If you are looking for information about different aspects of queer history this is an excellent first go to.
5 out of 5 stars.

[Rainbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic primer on LGBTQ* history and the issues they have affected the community over the last several centuries.

It is colorful and written in simple language to be understood by everyone, with plenty of sectioning and diagrams to aid in learning.

It is a deeper dive into LGBTQ* issues than I’ve seen in college curriculum, but is friendly enough for older teens and young adults to understand.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first impression of this history is that it's "one damn thing after another," a typical DK publication of trivia loosely spackled together by topic. But after listening to the whole thing, I found it well-written and highly informative, despite redundancy and organization problems. Overall, a great source to learn about LGBTQ history.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant, comprehensive summary guide to all things rainbow. It is both broad in scope and digging in deep to all sorts of issues and history pertinent to the rainbow community and our allies. Id's also eminintly readable, with complex ideas explained comprehensively and simply, with lots of appropriate illustrations and infographics. A fabulous resource!

[sarah]

already had a passing knowledge of a lot of this but I still learned some things and I made a list of a few topics I want to read more about so this was definitely still worth reading.
this is the type of book that anyone could get something out of and it's very accessible and comprehensive