Non-Fiction

TRANSVESTISM . . . men in female dress
edited by David O. Cauldwell, Sc. D., M.D.
Sexology Corporation
New York, New York
1956

with illustrations
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When these varied essays were collected, Milton Berle dressed as a woman on prime time television and Bob Hope and other actors appeared en femme in feature films. A few years later, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis pranced in drag in Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot.. In 1930, Lon Chaney played scary ‘Grandma’ O’Grady in MGM’s The Unholy Three. While mass market media content showed men in drag as crime-related disguise or just for laughs, few even oblique whispers suggested that some men wear dresses and heels for the sensual pleasure of it.


Begun in the 1930s, Sexology magazine discussed sex from a scientific point of view. In 1956, Sexology Corporation published TRANSVESTISM . . . men in female dress, a collection of essays, some of which may have been culled from the pages of the monthly magazine.


The first part assembles views and opinions of transvestism from physicians, a professor, an editor and other experts. The doctors categorize transvestites into types and recount case histories of patients. One essay tells the “fantastic” life story of the Abbe de Choissy, a 17th century French aristocrat whose mother dressed as a girl from childhood. When he resided as his castle near Bourges, he was recognized as Madame la Comtesse de Barres, and everyone called him “Madame”.


In the second part, transvestites give us auto-biographical essays of their lives in female dress, often beginning in early childhood. These accounts may be the most illuminating in the book, as the pseudonymous narratives are plausible and accompanied by photographs, presumably of the authors in drag. They tell of mothers and wives, and the undies they wore when home alone. While one wears his dresses only at a private hideaway, another presents himself as a woman to everyone he meets.

Most of the chapters have a couple of photos or illustrations showing boys and men in female clothing from various centuries. A few old paintings are reproduced. The ebook includes all the words and pictures of the original volume. The type has been completely re-set for the ebook. To locate a word in the ebook, type F while holding down the Control (Command) key, type in the word you seek and press the Enter key. To have Acrobat read the text out loud to you, click the View menu, then click Read Out Loud (or Shift+Control+B).


An interesting bit of transvestite history, Dr. Cauldwell’s volume illuminates the subject from many directions, exposing a variety of views and opinions. It may be of special value for those who feel the “exotic desire” as it presents experiences and feelings with candor and detail.

Read a memoir about this book here:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-trans-life/201612/in-the-dark-c...

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