"Drag: A History of Female Impersonation on the Stage" by Roger Baker, First Edition Signed, 1968

[LGBTQ] , Roger Baker

About this Item

[LGBTQ] Baker, Roger. Drag: A History of Female Impersonation on the Stage. London: Triton Books, 1968. Signed by author to title page in ink "Roger Baker, April 1969". First edition. 256 pages. Original brown cloth binding with author, title, and publisher stamped on spine. Original dustjacket, with black and white image of English drag performer Chris Shaw in a black sequined dress and full glam makeup and title spelled out in red sequins. Includes 92 black and white photographs and illustrations of cross-dressing performers, artists, and stage productions. Also included are two loose black and white signed photographs of drag performer Gary Webb, one in drag and one out. Webb's career is touched on by Baker on page 183. This book by British scholar Roger Baker examines the history of drag performance dating back to ancient China, Japan, and Greece through the punk scene of the 1960s. Baker touches on the difference between drag as a performance art, and transvestism, a personal practice, before delving in to the historical uses of drag by actors and impersonators. Chapters touch on famous cross-dressers including the Chevalier D'Eon, Vesta Tilley, Marlene Dietrich,and Julian Eltinge, and cross-dressing traditions on the Elizabethan stage, in pantomime, Kabuki, vaudeville, and opera among others. Wear to edges of dustjacket, price clipped. Overall very good condition. A detailed history on the uses of drag in performance and entertainment across the world.

Seller Inventory # 20771

Bibliographic Details

• Title: "Drag: A History of Female Impersonation on the Stage" by Roger Baker, First Edition Signed, 1968
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Marginalized Groups
  • Social Activist
  • LGBTQ
  • First Editions, Signed or Rare Books
  • 1960s-1970s