first edition
by Cross-Dressing, LGBTQ
[LGBTQ][Cross-Dressing] A compelling pair of books documenting drag performance and gender variance across two continents and decades, this collection provides a rare juxtaposition of transgressive visual culture and gender theory from both American and Australian perspectives. In Girlfriend: Men, Women, and Drag (1999) presents a late-20th-century American view of drag and gender identity through evocative photography and critical essays. In contrast, Drag Show (1977) offers an earlier Australian lens on theatrical and performative gender nonconformity, featuring original scripts, interviews, and critical texts. Together, these works capture the political, psychological, and aesthetic dimensions of drag, foregrounding queer identity and performance as modes of resistance and cultural expression.
[1] Kenna, Peter and Spears, Steve J. Drag Show. Sydney: Currency Press, 1977. First edition. 143 pages. Illustrated with over 50 black-and-white and color photographs. Original photographic wraps. An uncommon theatrical anthology chronicling the subcultural and dramatic roots of drag performance in Australia. Drag Show presents a vital record of gender nonconformity as it intersected with queer theater, trans identity, and legal discourse in the early 1970s. The collection includes Kenna’s "Mates" and Spears’ "The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin", two plays that center drag and trans characters navigating identity, desire, and repression. Complementary essays by figures such as Reg Livermore, Neil Buhrich, and George Zdenkowski reflect on drag’s political, medical, and cultural implications, providing insight into public perceptions of transvestism and the legal challenges faced by gender-nonconforming individuals. Vivid full-page photographs, including studio portraits and performance stills, underscore the exuberance and self-definition of the era’s drag artists.
[2] Brubach, Holly. Girlfriend: Men, Women, and Drag. New York: Random House, 1999. First edition. 178 pages. Illustrated with 79 black-and-white and color photographs by Michael James O’Brien. Original photographic wrappers. A major work of late-20th-century gender commentary and visual documentation, Girlfriend examines the performative construction of gender through drag, juxtaposing evocative imagery with insightful text. Holly Brubach’s essays explore themes of “Abandon,” “Acceptance,” “Ambition,” and “Anxiety,” drawing connections between cultural expectations and personal expression. The text situates drag as a site of tension and creativity, informed by social constraints and subversive potential. Michael James O’Brien’s photographs render drag performers with theatrical glamour and personal intimacy, capturing individuals across a wide spectrum of identity with dignity and style. The result is both a cultural archive and an aesthetic achievement, challenging binaries and affirming the transformative nature of performance.
Both show light creasing to covers with interior pages and photographs clean and well-preserved. Overall very good condition. Two brilliant visual histories of queer performance and gender expression, blending artistic, political, and psychological frameworks to expand understandings of drag beyond spectacle. (Inventory #: 21809)
[1] Kenna, Peter and Spears, Steve J. Drag Show. Sydney: Currency Press, 1977. First edition. 143 pages. Illustrated with over 50 black-and-white and color photographs. Original photographic wraps. An uncommon theatrical anthology chronicling the subcultural and dramatic roots of drag performance in Australia. Drag Show presents a vital record of gender nonconformity as it intersected with queer theater, trans identity, and legal discourse in the early 1970s. The collection includes Kenna’s "Mates" and Spears’ "The Elocution of Benjamin Franklin", two plays that center drag and trans characters navigating identity, desire, and repression. Complementary essays by figures such as Reg Livermore, Neil Buhrich, and George Zdenkowski reflect on drag’s political, medical, and cultural implications, providing insight into public perceptions of transvestism and the legal challenges faced by gender-nonconforming individuals. Vivid full-page photographs, including studio portraits and performance stills, underscore the exuberance and self-definition of the era’s drag artists.
[2] Brubach, Holly. Girlfriend: Men, Women, and Drag. New York: Random House, 1999. First edition. 178 pages. Illustrated with 79 black-and-white and color photographs by Michael James O’Brien. Original photographic wrappers. A major work of late-20th-century gender commentary and visual documentation, Girlfriend examines the performative construction of gender through drag, juxtaposing evocative imagery with insightful text. Holly Brubach’s essays explore themes of “Abandon,” “Acceptance,” “Ambition,” and “Anxiety,” drawing connections between cultural expectations and personal expression. The text situates drag as a site of tension and creativity, informed by social constraints and subversive potential. Michael James O’Brien’s photographs render drag performers with theatrical glamour and personal intimacy, capturing individuals across a wide spectrum of identity with dignity and style. The result is both a cultural archive and an aesthetic achievement, challenging binaries and affirming the transformative nature of performance.
Both show light creasing to covers with interior pages and photographs clean and well-preserved. Overall very good condition. Two brilliant visual histories of queer performance and gender expression, blending artistic, political, and psychological frameworks to expand understandings of drag beyond spectacle. (Inventory #: 21809)
(818) 224-4555
