"In Strangers, award-winning author Graham Robb has turned his attention to uncovering the real story of male and female homosexuality in the Victorian era. Ranging through Europe and America, he tells a tale that is in part familiar, and in part extremely surprising - a story of oppression and secrecy, but also of unexpected tolerance and familiarity. " "Rather than adhering to the widely held view that a liberated and proud gay heritage dates back only a few decades, he uncovers elements from legislature, literature, medicine and day-to-day life that point to a culture of Victorian homosexuality that was uniquely well developed, self-aware and sophisticated. Drawing on famous cases such as the Wilde trials, as well as a wide variety of often previously neglected sources, he explores this 'living past' with great insight, humour and aplomb, exploding modern assumptions and restoring the real and vibrant history of homosexual love to today's readers. "--BOOK JACKET.