Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia [Hardcover]

Steve Hogan (Author), Lee Hudson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

Nearly five hundred articles on every aspect of lesbian and gay life are linked to a detailed chronology of gay life and achievement in a unique, comprehensive volume of information that also includes quotes, little-known facts, useful tables and more than two hundred photographs and illustrations. 12,500 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The invention of the "encyclopedia" in the early 18th century was an attempt to collect together, in one place, all practical and theoretical knowledge. As more and more knowledge was accumulated--science, politics, and arts just kept happening--the idea of the "encyclopedia" became a little antiquated. After a while, the form itself became a catch-all for interesting, quirky opinions and deposits of odd information, a development that finds its apotheosis in Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia.

Editors Steve Hogan and Lee Hudson have pulled together more than 500 entries on everything from ACT UP to Seventh-Day Adventists, from Boston Marriages to Greg Louganis. The writing is breezy and smart, and almost all of the entries have bibliographic follow-ups. The book is beautifully designed, with a generous selection of photos. Filled with information ranging from the useful to the unique, from the facile to the fascinating, Completely Queer should be mined for conversational tidbits before attending any future cocktail parties, church socials, or two-for-one nights at the bar. --Michael Bronski

From Library Journal

As the introduction states, "The main focus of Completely Queer is the multifaceted international subculture self-identified lesbians and gay men have cultivated and refined in the second half of the 20th century." This title offers more than 500 succinct, informative entries that, remarkably, do justice to this ambitious territory. In essays that are arranged alphabetically and supplemented by 200 black-and-white images (without sources), New York-based writers-researchers Hogan and Hudson largely achieve their aim of offering varying levels of coverage, including representation of people of color and a balance between lesbian and gay male interests. Unique features include a list of famous pseudonyms, gay and lesbian detectives, and literary awards. References to related entries, sources for further study, and a 75-page chronology from c.12,000 B.C.E. to November 1996 add to the usefulness of this single volume. Despite some overlap with the more prosaic, thematically organized Encyclopedia of Homosexuality (LJ 1/90), this is well recommended for all collections. (Index not seen.)?Jim Van Buskirk, San Francisco P.L.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 704 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co; 1st edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805036296
• ISBN-13: 978-0805036299
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.6 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,327,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent overview of important queer items, but..., March 11, 2002

By 

Erin K. Darling "naive cynic" (olympia, wa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia (Hardcover)

This enormous tome is a fairly good basic reference for people who are unaware of many items within queer culture or queer history; however, if you're craving an in-depth look at any of the subjects contained therein, you'll need to find another book.

What this encyclopedia does is to very briefly cover a huge list of popular and obscure names, events, organizations, movements, et cetera that have been in some way important to queer culture/history/et cetera. There are many (black & white) photos, great quotes, and fascinating tidbits of trivia, and although I did not read it cover-to-cover, I received quite an education.

It's a standard encyclopedia format, which doesn't lend itself well to sitting down and reading through; however, it's great for randomly looking stuff up, flipping through, or specifically seeking something out.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely Queer : The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia, December 12, 1999

By 

Nicholas Meyer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia (Hardcover)

FANTASTIC ! I thouroghly enjoyed. Will be giving it to my best friend for Christmas.

A fact filled compendium. A MUST reference for "FAMILY & FRIENDS"

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gay Power!, September 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia (Hardcover)

If you are queer (which I am, thank you very much!) you will find this book to be the BEST gay/lesbian encyclopedia on the face of this earth! Every sentence in this book is so liberating it makes me smile! You will not be disappointed!