Over the past year, the Past Shelves oral history project has interviewed volunteers about their memories of Scotland’s first LGBTQ+ bookshops, Lavender Menace (1982-1987) and West & Wilde (1987-1997).
These interviews shed light on the role that queer bookshops played within Scotland’s LGBTQ+ community in the 1980s and 1990s. Lavender Menace and West & Wilde provided a safe space for customers to discover LGBTQ+ stories, connect with their community, and see themselves represented in books. These conversations about books have opened the door to discuss activism, representation, and what is possible for LGBTQ+ life.
Exhibition
Inspired by the interviews, Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive and Museums & Galleries Scotland have developed the Past Shelves: Histories of Queer Reading exhibition.
Explore the world of Lavender Menace and West & Wilde bookshops with us:
Lavender Menace: Histories of Queer Reading Exhibition
5 March – 3 May 2026, Museum of Edinburgh
Contact us
To find out more about this project, please email Anna Broomfield, Oral History Project Coordinator.
