Stephen Turton is a Research Fellow in English at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He writes and teaches on the history of English, lexicography, literature, and gender and sexuality. He is the co-editor of an ongoing project to digitize the letters of James A. H. Murray, the first chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary (www.MurrayScriptorium.org).
'Written with grace and clarity, this book makes an irrefutable case for historical lexicography and the light it sheds on past understanding of same-sex desire. In particular, it sets out new research on love and sex between women. It combines mastery of lexicographical detail with lucid exploration of the intellectual frameworks shaping historical attitudes to sex.' Charlotte Brewer, Hertford College, University of Oxford 'Turton's well-crafted, highly readable monograph uses a scavenger methodology to expose privileged voices repeatedly erasing references to marginalized sexuality in English dictionaries, 1600–1930. A convincing introduction to the method and theory of queer historical linguistics.' William L. Leap, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. Florida Atlantic University, USA 'This book brilliantly demonstrates what queer theory can do for lexicography – and vice versa. An essential read for lovers and scholars of language, dictionaries, and the long arc of LGBTQ+ history.' Jeffrey Masten, author of Queer Philologies