Thread: Best books about burlesque?

I want to read up about the history of burlesque and thought I'd nothing better to do than pop over to Amazon and buy THE book....but there are actually quite a few books and I don't want to waste my money.

Can anyone recommend me a book?

I've got DVT's book - but that's for the lovely pix

Thank you.

AliX

oh-oh - posted this in the wrong area! Can someone move it for me?

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I don't have it myself but a lot of people recommend Pretty things by... Liz Goldwyn? Let me just check that's right.

Yep it is

Originally Posted by December Charm

I don't have it myself but a lot of people recommend Pretty things by... Liz Goldwyn? Let me just check that's right.

Yep it is

I can recommend that one, I bought it as a gift to myself when I was upset and its fab! I also used it when I was doing my history of burlesque and costuming project for my final major college project :excited:

:read: I'm actually writing a thesis on it at the moment, and i can tell you that..
'Horrible prettiness' is great for an overall view of the history of american burlesque and the sociological issues surrounding it. (audience demographic etc) but isn't great for pictures.
'Striptease - from gaslight to spotlight' is perhaps less analytical but has lots of lovely images to accompany the text, which is great, given that burlesque is very visual.
'Burlesque and the new bump and grind' charts the rise of new-burlesque, but again, largely focused on the american scene,
but if you really want to look a bit further back to the british roots of burlesque as pastiche, and satire, I reccomend finding texts on british music hall and cabaret - I'm afraid I can't offer any specific titles as I'm only really focusing on the past 20 years. anyway, hope that's of some use.
have fun - it's an absolutely fascinating history

Lorna

Thank you for this info - it gives me plenty of resources to choose from :-)

AliX

Lydia Thomson's biography by Kurt Ganzl is good for reading about the lady who kind of started it all back in the 1870s.

Its not cheap though.

If I can find my copy I'll lend you it ...

x

I wonder, has does anyone know is there is a book about the rise of the modern British scene? I would be really interested in reading/researching a bit more about the revival as it happened on our side of the pond. I have been performing almost three years now and it was already going strong for a good while before i got into it. Am I right to think the MoB Parents were there at the start of the British Renaissance? I'd love to know more.