Sapphistries

“Rupp succeeds in writing a fascinating and at times startling transnational history… The range of this book is extraordinary… Rupp has given us an invaluable history that promises to inform and inspire.” - The San Francisco Chronicle “The rare kind of history book that a reader might pick up thinking of glancing at just a few pages- only to discover a few hours later that she has effortlessly breezed through the entire book.” Curve “The narrative shines when Rupp describes love between women in its many forms, whether innocent (the schoolgirl ‘raves’ of early twentieth-century England) or romantic (intense ‘romantic friendships’ throughout the Western world) or outright erotic. With acute cultural sensitivity and a panoramic scope stretching from early Native American societies to contemporary India, Rupp delivers an academically rigorous and brilliantly told history.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Rupp’s sweeping and highly readable synthesis of women’s same-sex love and sexuality is also a finely crafted work of historical analysis. Her deep knowledge of the sources, from ancient to modern times, is truly impressive, while her use of literary imaginings make this a unique contribution to sexuality studies.” - Estelle Freedman, author of No Turning Back “Every decade or so, a brave thinker makes an attempt to chart the historical maps of women loving women. Rupp’s contribution is perhaps one of the most elegant and interesting-making up for the lapses of the past, Sapphistries sails an international course, giving us a rich mix of historical sources and an even richer gift of asking questions at just the right places.” - Joan Nestle, co-editor of GenderQueer

Leila J. Rupp is Professor of Feminist Studies and Associate Dean of the Division of Social Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is author of many books, including Sapphistries: A Global History of Love Between Women (NYU Press, 2009) and A Desired Past: A Short History of Same-Sex Sexuality in America (University fo Chicago Press, 2001).