Lesbian Author Suggestions for Library Stock

The library authority I work for seems keen on stocking a good selection of lesbian-themed fiction, as I have noticed a lot of titles published by Bold Strokes (they have a very distinctive house design style, so are easy to spot on the shelves).

While this is laubable, a lady came in the other day looking for Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle. Not only did we not have a copy of this - to be fair, it appears to be out of print in the UK - but we don't have a single other Rita Mae Brown title, not only in our library, but the entire region.

I've reported this stock gap, so hopefully we'll get something in, but it's led me to wondering which other authors in the field of lesbian fiction we should really be stocking. Not so much names such as Virginia Woolf, who is an established literary name we always have in stock somewhere in the system.

Thanks in advance for your help

There's also Bella Books I believe. Mostly romance-y style stuff.

Ian, what sort of read do your patrons prefer? The romance/pulp of Bold Strokes and Bella? Or do you have some demand for more substantial lesbian fiction? I could make suggestions, if so.

I was thinking of something more substantial, as the library authority I work for covers a wide range of different areas from major urban college cities to rural towns. This means our readers of fiction cover those who like genre titles (and there's nothing wrong with that) to lovers of literary fiction.

As we seem to have a steady supply of lesbian genre fiction it occurs to me that we might be missing a trick by not keeping more literary works. My knowledge of such things, frankly, doesn't extend much beyond The Well of Loneliness.

Off the top of my head:

Literary (lesbian author/lesbian themes)

Sarah Waters

Literary (lesbian author/non-lesbian themes)

Mary Renault - I understand she does have some novels with lesbians in them, but I haven't read them
Marguerite Yourcenar she's bisexual, so I'm not sure if that counts

Literary genre writers

Ellen Kushner - no lesbian themes
Delia Sherman
Nicola Griffith

I'd add:
Jeanette Winterson
Alison Bechdel
Dorothy Allison
Julie Ann Peters*
Annie On My Mind*
Stone Butch Blues

* technically young adult but popular with adults nonetheless.

Adding:

Leslèa Newman
Jewelle Gomez
Sarah Schulman

The Price of Salt, a lesbian themed novel by Patricia Highsmith

Thank you everyone for your contributions to this thread, which I'm going through at the moment - hopefully we'll be able to buy some of them in.

all of the above. most definitely Sarah Waters (everything by her)

also

Beyond the Pale Elana Dykewomon
Edna Forbes Alma Rose
Ellen Galford Dyke and the Dybbuk
Jeannette Winterson Oranges are not the Only Fruit
Zami: a new spelling of my name Audre Lorde
Confessions of a failed Southern Lady Florence King
Dorothy Allison (everything)
Michelle Tea Valencia
Jill Malone Red Audrey and the Roping
Pages for you Sylvia Brownrigg

YA books"
Nina Revoyr A Necessary Hunger ****
Nancy Garden Annie on My Mind
Mayra Lazara Dole Down to the Bone
Julie Peterson Keeping You a Secret

anthologies:
Does Your Mama Know? Lisa Moore
Listen up: voices from the next feminist generation (ISBN: 1878067613 )
Garden Variety Dykes
Sportsdykes
Early Embraces

mysteries:

Ellen Hart
J.M. Redmann
Alma Fritchley
Mary Wings