The library takes its name from the 1950 novel, Quatrefoil, by James Barr. The novel is historically important as one of the first gay novels to portray homosexual characters positively. The Quatrefoil Library is a dream-come-true for David Irwin, a gay bookworm. In the mid-1970s both he and Dick Hewetson started collecting thematically gay books. In 1977 they moved into a large condominium, combining collections in a linen closet. But as David continued to buy ever more books, the collection soon outgrew the "closet." When the two parted in 1984, their more than 1500 volumes remained united.
