The Log Books
Voices of Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened
Will be published approx. on 29. January 2026
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-0-571-38833-2 (ISBN)
Description
An intimate history of LGBTQ+ life over four decades, discovered in a stash of forgotten, handwritten notes.
'A fantastic journey through an overlooked archive bursting with humanity and real life on every page.'
DAN SNOW
'Among the most vivid social histories I've read about contemporary queer life in Britain.'
OISIN MCKENNA, author of Evenings and Weekends
'Illuminating.' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Timely and moving.' HISTORY TODAY
'Profound.' AnOTHER MAGAZINE
In a crawlspace at the offices of Switchboard, a queer helpline in operation since 1974, lies dozens of log books kept by volunteers describing the phone calls they had taken: a teenager whose parents had kicked them out of home for dressing as the wrong gender; a lesbian terrified of having her baby taken away from her; a man arrested for chatting up another man in a public toilet; a young person wanting to know how to come out.
These logs were traces of tens of thousands of queer lives, a bridge to a past hidden from people like Tash Walker and Adam Zmith in their youth, captured by people who lent an ear to those in need. Walker and Zmith came of age in the time of Section 28, a law which banned councils and schools 'promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship'. In recovering these logs, they encountered people grappling with feelings, questions and problems both familiar and different, and set out to learn from - and sometimes speak to - those on both sides of the calls.
Charged with joy, gossip, sensuality, humour and sometimes fear, and with a potent relevancy to the world today, these stories are brought together in The Log Books. Walker and Zmith capture queer lives in stunning detail, embarking on a journey of both collective history and self-discovery and propelling it into the very foreground of our national history.
'In opening the Switchboard archive, and all the vulnerability and thrill contained within its pages, this book manages to capture something of the essence of what it means to be alive.'
AMELIA ABRAHAM, author of Queer Intentions
'A fantastic journey through an overlooked archive bursting with humanity and real life on every page.'
DAN SNOW
'Among the most vivid social histories I've read about contemporary queer life in Britain.'
OISIN MCKENNA, author of Evenings and Weekends
'Illuminating.' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Timely and moving.' HISTORY TODAY
'Profound.' AnOTHER MAGAZINE
In a crawlspace at the offices of Switchboard, a queer helpline in operation since 1974, lies dozens of log books kept by volunteers describing the phone calls they had taken: a teenager whose parents had kicked them out of home for dressing as the wrong gender; a lesbian terrified of having her baby taken away from her; a man arrested for chatting up another man in a public toilet; a young person wanting to know how to come out.
These logs were traces of tens of thousands of queer lives, a bridge to a past hidden from people like Tash Walker and Adam Zmith in their youth, captured by people who lent an ear to those in need. Walker and Zmith came of age in the time of Section 28, a law which banned councils and schools 'promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship'. In recovering these logs, they encountered people grappling with feelings, questions and problems both familiar and different, and set out to learn from - and sometimes speak to - those on both sides of the calls.
Charged with joy, gossip, sensuality, humour and sometimes fear, and with a potent relevancy to the world today, these stories are brought together in The Log Books. Walker and Zmith capture queer lives in stunning detail, embarking on a journey of both collective history and self-discovery and propelling it into the very foreground of our national history.
'In opening the Switchboard archive, and all the vulnerability and thrill contained within its pages, this book manages to capture something of the essence of what it means to be alive.'
AMELIA ABRAHAM, author of Queer Intentions
More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 41 mm
Weight
660 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-571-38833-2 (9780571388332)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Tash Walker is writer, podcast producer and community organiser who has worked with institutions such as the Barbican, BBC, and Queer Britain; they were a member of Switchboard's board for eight years.
Adam Zmith is a writer and multi-format producer; his book Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures won the Polari First Book Prize. He writes theatre shows, talks and podcasts, including Press Play Turn On which won Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards 2024.
Adam Zmith is a writer and multi-format producer; his book Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures won the Polari First Book Prize. He writes theatre shows, talks and podcasts, including Press Play Turn On which won Podcast of the Year at the British Podcast Awards 2024.