The Latecomer by Sarah Aldridge (All Editions)

The Latecomer by Sarah Aldridge is a 1974 lesbian romance and a landmark in the history of lesbian publishing: it was the first title issued by Naiad Press, the pioneering lesbian publishing house co-founded by Aldridge’s partner Anyda Marchant and Muriel Crawford. The novel follows Philippa, returning by ship from Europe, whose life is upended … Read more

We Walk Alone by Ann Aldrich (All Editions)

We Walk Alone by Ann Aldrich (a pseudonym of Marijane Meaker) is a groundbreaking 1955 work of non-fiction pulp that documented lesbian life in Greenwich Village, drawing on the author’s own experience as a lesbian. Part sociological survey, part first-person reportage, the book addressed its subject at a time when almost no mainstream publishing did … Read more

Bessie by Chris Albertson (All Editions)

Bessie by Chris Albertson is a biography of Bessie Smith, the blues singer known as the Empress of the Blues, who was the highest-paid African-American performer of the 1920s. Drawing on extensive interviews with Smith’s relatives, friends, and associates — including Ruby Walker Smith, a niece by marriage who toured with her for over a … Read more