Completely Queer: The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia

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