"The book succeeds in advancing and deepening our knowledge of American gay life in the first half of the last century."

Journal of American History

“Ibson has a tradition of finding imaginative ways to understand the history of gender and sexuality, both as identities and as forces guiding lives and behavior. In Men without Maps, he offers a powerful and sympathetic portrayal of the creativity and courageousness of male-desiring American men in the middle of the twentieth century. Ibson’s engaging prose and creative, original, and inspiring analysis make this book an interdisciplinary gem for anyone interested in the history of gay identity and culture. Men without Maps is impossible to read without simultaneously relishing.”

Tristan Bridges, University of California, Santa Barbara

“Men without Maps is a lovely book. Like Ibson’s earlier work, it is both scholarly and accessible. He convincingly argues that gay men from World War II up to Stonewall had no maps for manhood, in contrast with the ubiquitous maps that served as ‘basic training’ for heterosexual manhood. The book’s clear, deeply moving, and well-drawn prose will interest scholars of LGBTQ studies, masculinities, and sex and gender history.”

Michael Messner, University of Southern California

"Well researched and thoroughly documented with extensive notes, this slim volume belies its brevity, amply illustrated with photographs from numerous collections that leave the reader wanting more."

Choice

"The signal contribution of Men without Maps—as with so much of Ibson’s earlier work—is his ability to capture the quotidian existence of this sampling of gay men simply living their lives, finding joy, and persevering in the midst of a world that was so unwelcoming. This is queer social history at its best."

The American Historical Review