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13th out of 79 books
—
53 voters
Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Early West
Discover the fascinating yet grey world of prostitution and the women who participated in the world's oldest profession. Illustrated throughout with rare historical photos of women like Molly b' Dam, Lil' Lovell, and Mattic Silks. This strong book provides a touching insight into the lives of the ladies of the night, from pampered courtesans of the wealthy to enslaved Chin...more
Paperback, 1st edition Women of the West, 173 pages
Published
February 1st 1994
by Wesanne Publications
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May 09, 2007
Julie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
History buffs and women's studies
Shelves:
interesting-reads
To be frank, Soiled Doves is not the best written book I've ever read...But it's fascinating!
To read Soiled Doves is to step back in time to the Old West...Some prostitutes were content in their profession, some hated it, some were forced into prostitution and others happily chose thier lifestyle. Others chose the life of a madam and made plenty of money off their "sisters".
The subject matter is jarring but at times humorous...some of these ladies REALLY loved their work. If Seagraves were a be...more
To read Soiled Doves is to step back in time to the Old West...Some prostitutes were content in their profession, some hated it, some were forced into prostitution and others happily chose thier lifestyle. Others chose the life of a madam and made plenty of money off their "sisters".
The subject matter is jarring but at times humorous...some of these ladies REALLY loved their work. If Seagraves were a be...more
The author's list of acknowledgements fills a page at the opening of this historical account of prostitution in the early West. She has clearly done her research. And her book is a window into a subject often alluded to in the literature of the frontier but seldom if ever revealed in any depth.
The West was a man's world where, according to Seagrave, men often outnumbered women 50 to 1. Employment opportunities being few for uneducated young women, a great many found their way to the brothels in...more
The West was a man's world where, according to Seagrave, men often outnumbered women 50 to 1. Employment opportunities being few for uneducated young women, a great many found their way to the brothels in...more
I read this book some years ago and have an autographed copy on my shelf. I picked it up when I lived in Montana, along with several other, similar, books about women in the west, including "High-Spirited Women of the West," also by Anne Seagraves. Both books were published by Wesanne Publications. I found this book to be interesting, loved the old photographs. It's been a keeper on my research shelf.
Rather than dry, scholarly recitation, I thought each of the stories surrounding specific women...more
Rather than dry, scholarly recitation, I thought each of the stories surrounding specific women...more
Anne Seagraves novel, SOILED DOVES explores the fundamental concept of economics known as supply and demand. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries opportunities for women were extremely limited so many enterprising ladies opted for "the oldest profession" and took their "wares" out west where they supply was limited but the demand great. Some made fortunes while others were trapped in hopeless situations that led to their murder or suicide.
Seagraves explores the lives of various "profes...more
Seagraves explores the lives of various "profes...more
This book was very disappointing. The premise could have been a very good story, but the author is a very poor writer. Sadly, this is not her first book. The sentence structure was bad. The subjects were jumpy and the transitions poor. In several cases the author used a quote to support one idea, and then later used the same or a very similar quote to support the very opposite idea. I could not even determine the thesis of this book.
When I read the personal history of my great grandfather, I felt cheated. There were no personal histories of my three great grandmothers who were his wives. His experiences and thoughts were interesting but included little of his feelings or anything much about his wives or children. For instance, after writing about a page on his views one day, he added two brief sentences revealing that one of his children by his first wife, Ann, died that day and that it was Ann's birthday. Huh?
This book has...more
This book has...more
When I first started reading this I thought it was going to be another one of those boring, hard-to-get-through history like books, but I was very wrong. Anne Seagraves managed to take these women's stories and put you in their shoes. I have to say that before I read this book I thought prostitution in the early west was the woman's choice to sell her body. Now however, I realize most of the women in these horrendous houses were forced into prostitution, either by parents, lack of money, or beca...more
wow. what can i say? i was so excited to read a book on the subject of prostitution in the west. after the second paragraph, i couldn't escape the fact that i felt like i was reading a book written by a 3rd grader on the subject. beyond the many many items that perturbed me about this book was the fact that the title was never contextualized. 'soiled doves'... i get it...but was that a common term? does the author really need to refer to her subjects as "soiled doves" in one breath and then wome...more
Um, wow. I picked this book up in the gift shop after doing a long backpacking trip, and it is definitely an amature writer at work--the documentation/notation and source material was rather sketchily done, and some of the stories were remarkably similar, including the two women who were both "smothered, beaten, strangled, and shot" in the same order. Heckuva coincidence there. Nonetheless, it was fun and, if repetitive, still an interesting collection of newspaper accounts and short, sentimenta...more
This is actually a very sad book in that the author goes into the subject of prostitution in the West in a way that is usually glanced over in novels. Although it seems she researched this heavily, at times it seemed a bit unorganized and lacked depth. Having said that, it was full of photographs of the women, madams and prostitutes alike, the houses, from high-end brothels in red-light districts, to the squalor of the chinese slave girls (also alluded to in Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune)...more
Because I have a fascination with the history, psychology and sociological impact of prostitution, I love this book. Seagraves shows the reader how women got by...and didn't get by during this era of sex workers. Although prostitution in the Old West is often glamorized by film and other works of art, exhibiting sultry, happy and tough girls just doing what they love, the author shows the good, the bad and the ugly of an era and region which was known for sapping the life out of everyone, but st...more
This was a surprisingly great read--definitely along the lines of those "what your teacher never told you" books. However, I did struggle with the author's apparent generational/geographical biases. She wrote assuming that her readers hold traditional views of gender roles, and she uses the term "Oriental" ad nauseum. Despite this, reading about vivacious, adventurous, wily 19th C. women was thrilling. There was so much that I didn't know about the roles women, prostitutes in particular, played...more
Rather interesting account of the ladies in the "entertainment" industry of the Old West... Shows a totally different side, and probably infinitely more truthful, to their lives. This book would probably be more of interest to people who live in or near the communities that are spoken of in the book, so they're familiar with some of the characters. I find it amusing to be introduced to the other sides of the lives of various women of the history of the area I live in...what happened to them afte...more
A rather interesting series of stories about notorious prostitutes and madams of the old west. This a worthy book because its provides, under one cover, some quick glimpses of the more famous of the "soiled doves." It is not, however, a particularly well documented work, relying mainly it seems on secondary sources. Nor does it provide any philosophical or deeper meaning to the lives of the women whose stories it tells. (And sometimes the author's writing tends toward the sensational and hyperbo...more
Aug 27, 2010
Michael Barnette
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
old west writers or history buffs
Shelves:
research-favorites
This book is actually rated 4.5 stars (I really wish they'd let you award half a star here.)
Wonderful writing combined with detailed research makes this book, Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Old West, a great read.
If you are planning to write novels set in the Old West, or are just interested in the women's roles in the Old West, I highly recommend this book.
Reviewer's Note: I picked this book up during a vacation in Estes Park, Colorado. Every time I go back there I buy another of Ms. Seagrav...more
Wonderful writing combined with detailed research makes this book, Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Old West, a great read.
If you are planning to write novels set in the Old West, or are just interested in the women's roles in the Old West, I highly recommend this book.
Reviewer's Note: I picked this book up during a vacation in Estes Park, Colorado. Every time I go back there I buy another of Ms. Seagrav...more
This was pretty good. It had a lot of photos of the prostitutes and other photos of the time. I was drawn to this book because I find it interesting how overlooked prostitution is when considering the development of the West, or in civilizations in general. The book tells different life stories of various soiled doves, but keeps them short and to the point where you don't lose interest. I did learn about why hippies are called hippies and why virtuous women of the time didn't own poodles!
Picked this up to learn more about prostitution in the Old West. Despite the plethora of commas, I found the text engaging and easy to read. The pictures throughout the book really brought the stories of these women to life.
One thing I thought quite telling was the author's obvious admiration for these women and their spunk. Often I felt they were defended a bit too much, their profession downplayed to make the "sinfulness" of it less an issue than the women themselves. I liked this non-judgment...more
One thing I thought quite telling was the author's obvious admiration for these women and their spunk. Often I felt they were defended a bit too much, their profession downplayed to make the "sinfulness" of it less an issue than the women themselves. I liked this non-judgment...more
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The stories of the prostitutes and madams were compelling and painted a good picture of the business and lifestyle of prostitution in the 19th Century American West. What was annoying to the point of distraction was that the author chose to write what could have been a really good sociological and historical study with personal commentary from a 'Spirit of the great sisterhood of Woman' position, using far(!) too many exclamation marks to make her heavy-handed points(!)
I get that a book on pros...more
I get that a book on pros...more
I picked this up at the Bryce Canyon Visitor's Center. It's an historical collection of stories of actual women who populated the colorful world of prostitution during the female shortage in the Old West. Includes stories of wealthy businesswoman "high class" madames, and derelict skid row immigrant prostitutes, with old photographs, obituaries, journal entries, and newspaper articles. Fascinating narrative with both tragic and upbeat life stories.
When you're staying in a historic saloon & brothel in Williams, AZ & this book is available - you read it. I learned more than I ever would have imagined. Who knew that there was a social hierarchy among prostitutes? It was an interesting book & I do recommend it if you find yourself at the Red Garter Bed & Bakery in Williams, AZ. The B & B is delightful. The owner is interesting & the bakery items are delicious!
The title and cover had me hooked, the images inside were fascinating. The words, well, they got old. I did a lot of skipping around but this was my first book purchase about the new area I had moved to when I was stationed near Seattle. It was a very serious and studious work which, I just wasn't ready for that type of reading at the time. I was looking for fun, wild introduction to the rise of the PacNorWest.
Bought this in Ouray. It's self-published and very "local history" but aside from some more editing issues, the research is solid and the portraits of women who flouted the conventions of society in the West of the late 1800s were carefully and caringly drawn. The author does a fine job of explaining some of the reasons women turned to prostitution and how they affected the towns of the West.
I picked this up in the name of research and, for what it is, it's a light, sometimes sad yet informative work. I'm definitely piqued to follow up and read more about the American West. If the topic interests you, I reckon this is a good introduction. Terrible to think how women have been discriminated against and how far we've come since then.
I would call this "history lite". It is, however, a fascinating look into prostitution in the early west. It has quite a few photographs, and while not going really in-depth on history or analysis, it provides a different point of view on one of the original occupations. At 175 pages, this is a quick read. and you will learn something new.
I found this book to be interesting. Especially the first half or so then it gets kind of repetitive. I liked how the author detailed the various levels of prostitution - from the courteseans down to the street walkers and how the different cities treated them as well as their place in society as a whole. The stories of the madams are what got repetitive to me, but they were still interesting enough to read through. I think what I liked most was just the fact that the author wrote a book on this...more
An interesting look into one piece of the Old West's history. However, for an author who had multiple previous books, the writing seemed rather amateurish for something purporting to be a kind of history book, and this book could have used a lot more editing prior to being published.
Jan 01, 2013
Faith
added it
Although this book is poorly written, it provides an interesting, if extremely general, view of prostitution in the West and highlights the complicated problem of moralizing the institution and the women who work in it.
It doesn't have the feel of the most scholarly research and sourcing, but it's still a fascinating page-turner that shed a lot of light on a segment of Western history that was previously unknown to me.
I love the subject, and this is a good general information compilation on women of the wild west, but this is not exactly a work of historical writing. Very few citations, and no real discussion of these people's place in history. But still made for a good, easy read that will hopefully open up to more academic works down the road.
Interesting topic but not a very in-depth account. Left me wanting more. This book felt mostly like a quick guide to give me an overview of prostitution in the "Old West" so I could research more on my own.
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Apr 22, 2011 06:35am