1
of
1
The Secret Public
A Queer History of Pop
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 182 ratings, 34 reviews)
Brief Description
A GUARDIAN AND EVENING STANDARD BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Fascinating.' NEIL TENNANT 'The missing story of the heart of pop.' JOHNNY MARR 'Superb.' Alexis Petridis 'Dazzling.' GUARDIAN 'So much spine, spunk and guts.' NEW STATESMAN 'Utterly engrossing.' THE WIRE 'Erudite.' OBSERVER An electrifying look at key...
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
Unit price
/
Unavailable
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER
Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks
Found a better price? Request a price match
The Secret Public
$2799
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Latest News
The Hunger Games: Why it is one of the greatest YA series of all time
I absolutely LOVE ‘The Hunger Games’, and with ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ arriving in New...
New Hero Alert! Meet Renee, Our New Warehouse Sidekick!
Meet Renee, one of the newest members of our Book Hero warehouse team! A keen...
The Story to Screen Report - 6/11/2026
It's another exciting week in the world of book-to-screen adaptations! From major casting announcements and...
The Lord of the Rings at Book Hero: There and Back Again… And Again
Our very first sale was an illustrated copy of The Hobbit, and our Tolkien collection...
A Little Bit of Magic: Building the Rolife Magic Fantasy Corner
There's nothing quite like spending an evening building a little bit of magic! Last weekend,...
See moreA monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author Jon Savage.
A monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author Jon Savage.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
A GUARDIAN AND EVENING STANDARD BOOK OF THE YEAR
'Fascinating.' NEIL TENNANT
'The missing story of the heart of pop.' JOHNNY MARR
'Superb.' Alexis Petridis
'Dazzling.' GUARDIAN
'So much spine, spunk and guts.' NEW STATESMAN
'Utterly engrossing.' THE WIRE
'Erudite.' OBSERVER
An electrifying look at key moments in music and entertainment history between 1955 and 1979, which helped move gay culture from the margins to the mainstream and changed the face of pop forever - from the ambiguous sexuality of stars such as Little Richard in the 1950s through to David Bowie, glam rock and Sylvester's 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)'.
The Secret Public is a searching examination of the fortitude and resilience of the gay community through the lens of popular music and culture; it reflects on the freedom found in divergence from the norm and reminds us of the need to be vigilant against those seeking to roll back the rights of marginalised groups.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780571358397
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 05 June 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Faber & Faber
Edition: Main
Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 300g
Pages: 784
Collections
About the Author
Jon Savage is the author of England's Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock and Teenage: The Creation of Youth, 1875-1945. He is the writer of the award-winning film documentaries The Brian Epstein Story (1988) and Joy Division (2007), as well as the feature film Teenage (2013). His compilations include Meridian 1970 (Heavenly/EMI 2005) and Queer Noises: From the Closet to the Charts, 1961-1976 (Trikont 2006).
Also by Jon Savage
View all-
The Secret Public
'Fascinating.' NEIL TENNANT 'The missing story of the heart of pop.' JOHNNY MARR 'Superb.' Alexis Petridis 'Dazzling.' GUARDIAN 'So much spine, spunk and guts.' NEW STATESMAN 'Utterly engrossing.' THE WIRE 'Erudite.' OBSERVER A monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from the award-winning, Sunday Times-bestselling author. An electrifying look at key moments in music and entertainment history between...Paperback$4500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Secret Public
'Fascinating.' NEIL TENNANT 'The missing story of the heart of pop.' JOHNNY MARR 'Superb.' Alexis Petridis 'Dazzling.' GUARDIAN 'So much spine, spunk and guts.' NEW STATESMAN 'Utterly engrossing.' THE WIRE 'Erudite.' OBSERVER A monumental history of the LGBTQ influence on popular culture, from the award-winning, Sunday Times-bestselling author. An electrifying look at key moments in music and entertainment history between...Hardback$5999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Teenage
One of David Bowie's Top 100 Must Read books and the inspiration behind the film Teenage, directed by Matt Wolf and narrated by Ben Whishaw, this is the acclaimed history of the century and a half of ferment, folly and angst that resulted in the arrival of 'the teenager' in 1945. Ringing with music, from Ragtime to Swing, Teenage roams...Paperback$3699Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
This Searing Light, the Sun and Everything Else
The SUNDAY TIMES Top Ten Bestseller #1 Book of the Year, UNCUT #1 Book of the Year, ROUGH TRADE A Book of the Year, MOJO Joy Division emerged in the mid-70s at the start of a two-decades-long Manchester scene that was to become much mythologised. It was then a city still labouring in the wake of the war and entering...PaperbackSold Out -
England's Dreaming
Jon Savage's England's Dreaming is the ultimate book on punk, its progenitors, the Sex Pistols, and their time: the late 1970s. Full of anecdote, insight, and exclusive interviews, it tells the sensational story of the meteoric rise and rapid decline of the last great rock 'n' roll band and the cultural moment they came to define. This new edition will...PaperbackSold Out -
1966
The pop world accelerated and broke through the sound barrier in 1966. In America, in London, in Amsterdam, in Paris, revolutionary ideas slow-cooking since the late '50s reached boiling point. In the worlds of pop, pop art, fashion and radical politics—often fueled by perception-enhancing substances and literature—the 'Sixties', as we have come to know them, hit their Modernist peak. A...PaperbackSold Out
More from Science & Nature
View all-
What If? 10th Anniversary Edition
CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF THE MILLION-SELLING POP SCIENCE CLASSIC WITH A SPECIAL EDITION. THIS IS WHAT IF? . . . x10. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Nerd royalty' — BEN GOLDACRE 'Totally brilliant' — TIM HARFORD 'Required reading across the world' — NEW YORK TIMES From the creator of the wildly popular xkcd.com, experience hilarious and informative answers to important questions...Hardback$4200Elsewhere:$5000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Nuclear War
The Sunday Times bestselling non-fiction thriller that has to be read to be believed. Baillie Gifford shortlisted, a favourite of Steven Bartlett, with an average reader rating of 4.6, sure to be a mass-market hit. Up to now, no one outside of official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
The Anxious Generation
A powerful argument for reclaiming childhood—and all human relationships—from the online world, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author. Jonathan Haidt has spent his career speaking truth and wisdom in some of the most difficult spaces—communities polarised by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the mental health emergency hitting teenagers today in many countries around...Paperback$2299Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Prisoners of Geography
Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present, and future to offer crucial insights into one of the major factors that determine world history – because if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture. Originally published in 2015, this completely revised and updated edition brings it up to date with the events and trends of the past...Paperback$2899Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Diddly Squat: Home to Roost
It's been another memorable year on Diddly Squat Farm - will the chickens finally come home to roost? Welcome back to Clarkson's Farm. The spring crop failed. Farming sheep, pigs, and cows was hardly more lucrative (better off breeding ostriches...) But in the face of uncooperative weather, bureaucracy, and the world's persistent refusal to recognise his genius, our hero's not...Paperback$2600Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
The Place of Tides
To save the world, we have to start somewhere. One afternoon many years ago, James Rebanks met an old woman on a remote Norwegian island. She lived and worked alone on a tiny rocky outcrop, caring for wild ducks and gathering their down. Hers was a centuries-old trade that had once made men and women rich, but had long been...Paperback$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Ultra-Processed People
Launching the runaway bestseller with ambitions to be the biggest non-fiction paperback of the year IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S THE FOOD. "If you only read one diet or nutrition book in your life, make it this one" - Bee Wilson "You've got to get this book in your life . . . Completely compelling . . . Read a page...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Pokemon Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded 2024
The essential guide to all things Pokémon, this year’s Encyclopedia includes all of the details of Ash Ketchum’s battle to become Pokémon World Champion! The new updated and expanded final edition of the Pokémon Encyclopedia! Ash Ketchum’s journey to becoming a Pokémon Master, and winner of the Masters Eight World Championships, has come to an end. Travel through all 8...Hardback$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Kitchen Confidential
The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. ‘Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino’ — A.A. Gill ‘Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioli’ — Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
That's not my... Zoo
A perfect introduction to zoo animals with eye-catching illustrations, touchy-feely patches and a noisy finale! Discover the fun of the zoo in this sound-book addition to the bestselling That's not my... series. Turn the pages to explore the zoo and meet a monkey, an elephant, a tiger and a parrot in this larger format touchy-feely book. Press the sound button...Board book$2200Elsewhere:$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Sapiens
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is an extraordinary exploration of humanity's history from the dawn of our species to the present day. Harari delves into our evolution, offering insights into the cognitive revolutions that allowed Homo sapiens to rise above other animal species. Traversing through various stages of human development, he examines the Agricultural Revolution, the unification of humankind through...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday -
Talk
A Harvard professor shows how we can become better talkers - and why effective conversation will help us all thrive. Conversation is at the heart of our relationships and decision-making, but the science behind our everyday interactions, and how to improve them, is little known. In Talk, Harvard Professor Alison Wood Brooks provides fascinating insights into the power of effective...Paperback$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips Monday
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 190,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
Science & Nature lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
