Tomboys and Bachelor Girls by Rebecca Jennings

Tomboys and bachelor girls - A lesbian history of post–war Britain 1945–71
 
Using a rich array of oral histories and archival sources, Tomboys and bachelor girls provides the first detailed academic study of lesbian identity and culture in post-war Britain. Described by psychiatrists as immature and neurotic, and widely ignored as taboo by mainstream society, lesbians nevertheless recognised and accepted their same-sex desire and sought out women like themselves. 
Challenging the conventional picture of the post-war decades as years of austerity and conservative femininity, this book traces the emergence of a vibrant lesbian social scene in Britain, centred on the metropolitan nightclubs of post-war London, but also developing across the country, through lesbian magazines and social organisations. 
This fascinating book brings to life the rich history of post-war lesbian culture for the scholarly and general reader alike.