Pride Picks 2025

Flamboyant and witty, Oscar Wilde was famous for being famous.

The toast of late-nineteenth London society, he once boasted he could speak spontaneously on any subject, and his writings were as varied as his captivating conversation. One of the leading playwrights of his age, he also found fame as a poet, novelist and essayist. Of course, Wilde's literary success is bound up with the tragedy of his private life, and his very name evokes fascination. Including Wilde's funniest remarks and ripostes as well as deeper reflections, this collection of wit and wisdom will amuse, provoke and delight.

'There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.' Lord Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890.

A charismatic performer and frontman to Queen, Freddie Mercury is regarded as one of the greatest rock singers in music history.

Bursting with all the famed wit, wisdom and wisecracks that made the late, great showman's larger-than-life career so compelling, this tiny tome is home to all of Freddie's most famous, infamous, and funniest flights of spoken fancy. From controversial interview quotes to candid life philosophies, through his legendary performance at Live Aid in 1985 to his final days as a solo artist, everything he ever said (almost) is here.

"A lot of people slammed 'Bohemian Rhapsody', but who can you compare that to? Name one group that's done an operatic single."
Freddie, on 'Bohemian Rhapsody', interview with Circus magazine, March 1977.

"I think Queen songs are pure escapism, like going to see a good film – after that, people can go away, and go back to their problems."
Freddie, on the magic of his band's songs, interview with Melody Maker, May 1981.

From ancient heroes like the rebel slave Spartacus to modern-day dissenters who defied the odds, Stand Up, Stand Out! is the ultimate guide to inspiring tales of human passion and courage.

Meet 25 of the most inspiring humans of all time! These rebels stood up for what they believed in, spoke out against injustice, and overcame impossible obstacles. From world leaders such as Gandhi and Nelson Mandela to unsung heroes like Irena Sendler (who smuggled 2,500 children out of the Warsaw Ghetto in World War II) and Juliane Koepcke (who survived an airplane crash at aged 17, followed by nine days in the Amazon rainforest), this book is filled with incredible stories of passion and endurance. It also offers encouraging suggestions on how to make your own stand when you see unfairness.

Meet these heroes!

• Boudicca, the Celtic Queen who battled the invading Romans
• Galileo Galilei, the star scientist whose theories upset the Catholic Church
• Mary Seacole, the Jamaican nurse who fought against racism to treat soldiers during the Crimean War
• Martin Luther King, Jr., winner of the Nobel Peace Prize who protested segregation and inequality
• Muhammad Ali, the boxer who followed his conscience and refused to join the military
• Cory Aquino, who stood against corruption in the Philippines . . . even after her husband’s assassination
• Malcolm Michaels Jr. / Marsha P. Johnson, the transgender icon and LGBTQ activist
• And more!

Sir Elton Hercules John has enjoyed a phenomenal career filled with success, excess and achievement. His farewell tour was announced as more than 300 dates across all corners of the glode for years. Illness, Covid-19 and other extenuating circumstances conspired to prolong it, but the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour concerts have sold out everywhere as fans take their opportunity to see this unique artist for possibly the last time live on stage.

The Little Guide to Elton John celebrates the career, music and character of one of the most interesting, colourful, engaging and interesting popular musicians ever. The book reviews his career and countless highs, and recognizes his many record breaking achievements, in music, in his charity work and farther afield.

There is simply no one like Cher.

A mix of street smart, intelligence, talent and beauty, she’s the celebrities’ favourite celebrity and if you’re not a Dolly Parton person, there’s no doubt you align with Cher. With six decades of No.1 hits, from Sonny & Cher days to her latest album (number 26) the Gold Dancing Queen in 2018, she’s reinvented herself again and again. Turning her hand to serious acting in Silkwood, Mask, Moonstruck, The Witches of Eastwick and more, the multitalented star had new career, but yet again emerged as the “Goddess of Pop” with dance-oriented pop-rock – and gaining a dedicated tribe of gay followers as a result. From LGBTQ rights to politics, from saving elephants to kitchen discos on TikTok, she’s as engaged and relevant as she ever was – and she has a LOT to say for herself. Here is a collection of the funniest, sharpest, most deadpan quotes you’d expect from this authentic one-of-a-kind star who Time magazine named as “Twitter’s most outspoken (and beloved) commentator”.

Drag may have been around for hundreds of years, but it's only in recent years that it's really hit the mainstream. Thanks in part to the phenomenon that is RuPaul's Drag Race, drag is now a regular feature of TV, streaming, podcasts and more, and it is beloved by many – stars such as Bianca Del Rio and Trixie Mattel are now household names. But that growing fame hasn't been entirely positive, with backlash from conservatives and religious groups.

The Little Book of Drag is a sickening celebration of all things drag, serving realness with facts, history and quotes from the queens. Providing all the T on everything you've ever wanted to know, this is the book for any queen who wants to get reading . . . the library is open.

50 years of Pride in the words of those who changed the world.

Half a century has passed since 2,000 people marched in the very first Pride march, in New York City. It was a moment when the LGBT+ community rose up against centuries of hatred and persecution, spawning a global movement and the Pride parades that now take place around the world.

The Little Book of Pride is a collection of quotes that captures the voices of those who have played a key part in the long journey to a place of Pride – from the very first pioneers, to those who took the fight into the streets of the Stonewall riots, and right up to today's movers and shakers.

'Your lives matter. Your voices matter. Your stories matter.' Actress and trans activist Laverne Cox at the Goldern Globes Awards, 2016.

'If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door.' Tape recording left by Harvey Milk, the first openly gay US politician, murdered in 1978.