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35th out of 54 books
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15 voters
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Pretty Things: The Last Generation of American Burlesque Queens
" Liz Goldwyn's lifelong fascination with the inimitable glamour of classic burlesque inspired her to spend the past eight years corresponding with, visiting, interviewing, receiving striptease lessons from, and forming close relationships with the last generation of the great American burlesque queeens. Goldwyn invites us to step back into an era when the hourglass f
...moreHardcover, 285 pages
Published
October 24th 2006
by ReganBooks
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Christine
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This book has some great pictures and is really inspiring me as far as costume design and such go, but I don't think it's very well written. I feel like the author draws too much attention to herself. Especially when there happen to be burlesque-y posing photos of her in the beginning and extensive photos of her burlesque memorabilia. Like I don't know. Liz Goldwyn is great-grand-daughter of Samuel Goldwyn, who is major motion picture royalty or something and while I do my best to not judge or d...more
Fascinating study of the lives of America's "Bump N' Grind" beauties. I first heard of this book as an HBO Documentary that came out a few years ago. If you can find the film, it is also excellent. One of the more ironic points brought out is that many of the most lusted-after ladies of the Burlesque theatre either despised men from the get-go, or came to. Both the book and film are saucy, spicy and highly entertaining.
A lovely, lovely history of burlesque. This author's attention to detail, her love for the costuming and the artfulness and the attitude, is apparent on every page, and it was a joy to read.
A very large overview of late-20th century American Burlesque by an author who is extremely enthusiastic about her topic. Unfortunately, the book--coffee-table sized--is not as pretty as the subject. The designers went for a vintage look, which undermines the glamor of the subject--the tome just comes off looking half-assed. It's inappropriate as either a gift or an addition to a scholarly collection, which is too bad. The content really is terrific.
loved it, as a fan of true burlesque, this large book was a quick read. the photos are fun and the stories of the ladies featured shows what a tough life they led after ziegfeld and the stage door johnnies vanished. What was considered tawdry then, has been embraced in today's society as an art form.
This book is visually great for those of us who are postively OBSESSED with vintage burlesque and costuming. It has information about costumers and dancers from a generation gone by. As far as copy that makes a cohesive narrative, it does not. But it sure is a pretty thing.
extraordinary review of the burlesque queens of an age that passed long ago. Drags at times, but otherwise has some incredible photographs and is remarkably well documented and researched.
I recommend this to anyone who wishes to gain a deeper understanding of the art of burlesque, including its origin and evolution.
This is a wonderful book for a visual journey through burlesque, but the accompanying text is on the weak side.
though there are many books on burlesque worthy of my praise out there, this is the one I hold most dear.
GORGEOUS book of burlesque costumes and burlesque queens of days gone by!
LOVE this book!
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