The Drag King Book (Paperback)

by Judith "Jack" Halberstam (Author), Del LaGrace Volcano (Photographer), Del LaGrace Volcano (Author) "They sport vintage suits and fancy ties, slicked-back hair and neat moustaches, baggy jeans and leather jackets, hats and caps and impressive sideburns..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Dodge Bros, Club Casanova (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
What is a drag king? Why have drag kings not been as numerous or as popular as their drag queen counterparts in popular culture? Are drag kings lesbians? "The Drag King Book" tells you everything you've wanted to know and more about the lives and performances of contemporary male impersonators. The book profiles many different performers, among them San Francisco's larger-than-life Elvis Herselvis and New York's mackdaddy Dred, and presents interviews with drag kings alongside descriptions and analyses of actual shows. Lavishly illustrated with over 100 pictures by transgender photographer Del LaGrace Volcano, "The Drag King Book" is a striking testament to the multiple forms of gender variance today.

About the Author
Del LaGrace Volcano is a photographer whose work has been exhibited and published widely across the UK, Europe and USA. Del is a gender variant visual artist, constantly seeking to abolish conventional notions of gender and cross the line as many times as it takes to build a bridge we can all walk across.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Serpent's Tail (August 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852426071
• ISBN-13: 978-1852426071
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #446,541 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantasic photographs, insightful interviews and much more., September 14, 1999

By A Customer

I can't believe it's taken this long for Drag Kings to be seen and heard, but THE DRAG KING BOOK more than makes up for the wait. I had never heard of drag kings before I literally ran into this book and my eyes have been wide open ever since. As a novice in this field I found the book to be a very enjoyable read and the photographs pure pleasure. I had no idea that women could so convincingly impersonate such a wide range of men, and more than a few are stunningly sexy, even to a confirmed heterosexual woman such as myself. When are they coming to Texas?

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars chicks with d**ks ... gotta love it!, November 17, 1999

By A Customer

Run don't walk to the nearest webpage/bookstore and get yourhands on this book! You won't be sorry; see the cutest boyz putting a1990s spin on masculinity and sex like nothing you've seen before. See for yourself; you've seen the imitations: men performing masculinity on the Hollywood screen, reporters passing as men in king for a day workshops. Find the Drag King Book and see the originators; go on, don't be afraid, you know you want to. Girls who identify as boyz, who pass completely as boyz, 'kinging' it up onstage offstage and in and around just about every stage you could dream up! GO GO GO find this book, delight in the superb photographs, learn something and get bent! it changed my life and it'll change yours too!

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What took you so long boys? Women stand up and be counted!, November 20, 1999

By A Customer

I bought this book after watching some amazing drag kings on The Maury Show--an experience which really knocked me out! Shows what an absolute obsession we all have with gender and our quest to find some kind of "truth" therein.I'm only half way through the book but just had to tell the world how extraordinary this new(?) subculture is. I loved the images and loved reading the interviews especially. You Go Boys & Girls!