Matt Cook explores the relationship between London and homosexuality from 1885 to 1914, years marked by intensification in concern about male-male relationships and also by the emergence of an embryonic homosexual rights movement. Cook combines his coverage of London's homosexual subculture and various major and minor scandals with a detailed examination of representations in the press, science and literature. This conjunction of approaches distinguishes this study from other works and provides new insight into the development of ideas about homosexuality during the period.

Illustrations; Tables; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Note on terminology; Introduction; 1. London and the cities of the plain; 2. The grossly indecent city; 3. The inverted city; 4. The decadent city; 5. The Hellenic city; Epilogue: public spaces/private lives.

Matt Cook is Jonathan Cooper Chair of the History of Sexuality at Mansfield College, University of Oxford