A Queer Scrapbook : Britain and Ireland Since 1945

A Queer Scrapbook : Britain and Ireland Since 1945 edited by Justin Bengry, Matt Cook, Rebecca Jennings and E-J Scott
 
Publishes 17 March 2026
 
A beautifully illustrated compendium of LGBTIQ+ life.
 
A Queer Scrapbook offers a treasure trove of LGBTIQ+ histories from across Britain and Ireland. Packed with materials, from interviews and newspaper articles to photographs and flyers, the book explores urban, rural and regional queer life since 1945.
 
Commentaries and short essays introduce a changing queer landscape, spotlighting four broad themes: home and family, sex and socialising, arts and culture and politics and activism. The book delves into the meaning and experiences of domesticity and parenting and explores the sometimes unexpected places LGBTIQ+ people met to have fun. It examines the importance of creative work in forming community and identity and shows how people fought injustice and advocated for equal rights.
Collecting has been a way for the marginalised to explore and assert identity and community. A Queer Scrapbook vividly illustrates the diversity of queer and trans lives across the British and Irish isles since the Second World War.
 
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'A goldmine for anyone seeking to reinvigorate their hearts, minds and toolkits for activism, harvested from beautiful case studies of queer life and love that have been hidden. until now.' - Dan Glass, author and activist

'Proof we've always been here, proof of all we've fought for, proof that we need to keep fighting now more than ever.' - Charlie Craggs, actress and activist

'Our histories are often unspoken or erased, so this lovely treasure trove provides a wealth of fascinating insights into the personal lives, stories, activism, communities, art and desire of queer people that have occurred since the post-war period. Highly recommended!' - Paul Baker, author of Fabulosa!

'Queer life bursts from these pages, messy and touching and grubby and gorgeous. The voices of A queer scrapbook have something urgent to say to everyone: it's a treasure trove of historical sources and community across time, and it will hold you as you hold it.' - Kit Heyam, author of Before We Were Trans

'Leaps energetically from moment to moment, place to place - a book as delightfully idiosyncratic as queer and trans history itself.' - Morgan M. Page, author and activist

'Wonderfully researched and richly illustrated, A queer scrapbook is the next best thing to being in a queer archive. Not only a brilliant introduction to queer history but a thoughtful commentary on the future of queer archival work.' - Elizabeth Lovatt, author of Thank You for Calling the Lesbian Line