This summer, Aesop welcomes the return of the Queer Library, an initiative that transforms selected stores across the UK into temporary libraries dedicated entirely to LGBTQIA+ voices. Running from 3–5 July in its London stores, the project invited visitors to select a complimentary book, no purchase required, from a carefully curated collection of queer literature. The programme will be travelling to Brighton from 31 July–2 August and is supported by publishing houses.

Each year it seeks to celebrate queer writing while creating accessible spaces for discovery, encouraging readers to encounter voices and stories that have too often remained on the margins of the literary canon. The books themselves have been sourced in partnership with Penguin Random House and independent bookshops, spanning memoir, fiction, poetry and history by both established and emerging LGBTQIA+ writers.

The 2026 edition places particular emphasis on Britain’s own queer histories and the organisations that have helped preserve them. Central to this year’s programme is the work of Switchboard, the UK’s national LGBTQIA+ support line. Founded in 1974 and operated by volunteers, the charity has supported more than four million people over the past five decades. Alongside this partnership, the Aesop Foundation will also donate to both Switchboard and the nationwide trans+ charity Not a Phase, reinforcing the initiative’s commitment to community beyond the bookstore.

Among this year’s reading list are literary landmarks including James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, alongside contemporary voices such as Jack Parlett with Flamboyance, Sam Morris with Pieces of a Boy, Ryan Gilbey with It used to be witches, or Kate Young with Experienced. Other highights include Kae Tempest with Having spent life seeking. The collection reflects the breadth of queer literature today, moving effortlessly between intimate memoir, historical research, experimental fiction and political essays.

One of the programme’s most considered features is its circular approach to reading. Visitors who return a previously acquired Queer Library title, recognisable by its library stamp, can exchange it for another, allowing each book to continue its journey through the community long after the installation has ended. It is a meaningful gesture, shifting the emphasis from ownership to exchange, a fluid ‘book club’ in many ways. 

The Queer Library also reflects a broader shift in how luxury brands engage with culture. In an era when many companies align themselves with Pride through temporary campaigns (pinkwashing anyone?), Aesop’s initiative feels relevant and smart.

Perhaps this is why the project has endured. It asks for nothing from visitors beyond curiosity, offering instead the quiet pleasure of discovering a new author, carrying home an unexpected book and participating in an act of cultural exchange.