In 1988, the diaries of Anne Lister (1791-1840) were published at last, and were hailed as a vital piece of lost lesbian history. Editor Helena Whitbread spent years painstakingly researching and transcribing Lister's extensive journals, much of which were written in an elaborate code that allowed her to record her life in intimate, and at times, explicit, detail. Until then, Anne Lister's lesbianism had been suppressed or hinted at; this was the first time her story had been told. Also known as "Gentleman Jack," Lister defied the role of 19th-century womanhood: she was a landowner, industrialist, and traveler—a bold woman who lived her life on her own terms.

"The Lister diaries are the Dead Sea Scrolls of lesbian history; they changed everything. By resurrecting them and editing them with such loving attention and intelligence, Helena Whitbread has earned the gratitude of a whole generation."—Emma Donoghue