From damon@amanda.dorsai.org  Tue Nov 29 03:18:22 1994
Although the talk here has concentrated on Lesbian Lists of the electronic
kind, I'd like to point out that there is a also a book titled, _Lesbian
Lists_.  And unlike Sappho, whose male-exclusionist policies I despise (and
can easily circumvent by using my girlfriend's account since she too hate
discrimination of all kinds), this book is fun inviting reading for both
genders of all orientations.

It's full title is: _LESBIAN LISTS: A look at lesbian culture, history, and
personalities_ by Dell Richards (Alyson Publications, 1990.  $8.95).  This
254 page book is a collection of lists, some important, some frivolous, and
most just plain fun.  Among them are: 22 Lesbian Poets, 12 Lesbian
Actresses, 12 Broadway Plays With Lesbian Themes or Characters, 3 Lesbian
Couples Buried Next to Each Other, 18 Alleged Causes of Lesbianism, 19
Alleged Cures for Lesbianism, 5 All-Female Animal Societies, 5 Lesbian Who
Married Gay Men, 6 Lesbian Custody Cases, ... well, you get the idea ...
The book is modeled after Leigh Rutledge's _The Book of Gay Lists_, which
she acknowledges, and concentrates on lesbians before 1970.

My only misgiving is the author's eagerness to include as many women as
possible, even if the lesbianism is questionable.  For example, in "8
Scientists, Mathematicians, Scholars, and Doctors," she included Agnodice, a
4th century Greecian gynecologists.  In the brief biography, the author
writes, "... Whether she was actually a lesbian is not known but like many
women who crossed-dressed to pursue their goals in a man's world, she should
probably be included in the wide pantheon of lesbian foremothers."