New 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall Paperback First Edition Signed by Author Following Men in Petticoats, Borrowed Plumes covers from 1898 to 1912, with letters from The Queen, The Daily Mirror, Modern Society and Photo Bits. Histories are given of each periodical; important new research revealing that of The Queen for the first time. Each history is followed with readers' letters from that periodical, similar in content to those published in Men in Petticoats. The mildly erotic, yet never pornographic, content of much of the correspondence shows that the fascination with cross-dressing - and with the men who cross-dressed - continued (as it still continues!) unabated. Fascinating reading. To complement the intriguing text, two full colour fashion plates, several contemporary photographs and many fashion drawings from various magazines and catalogues are included; a total of twenty-nine illustrations showing some of the stylish outfits and lavishly-trimmed underclothing the fashionable cross-dresser would have enjoyed wearing at the time the letters were written.

New 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall Paperback First Edition Signed by Author This is a continuation of Confidential Correspondence on Cross Dressing 1911-1915 and takes the collection of letters from Fun and Bits of Fun up to October 1920, when, following a prosecution, the paper died, but not before James Joyce had seen a few copies and was able to incorporate some choice phrases into Ulysses, then in process of completion. Includes the publishers original publicity flyer advertising the book.

New 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall Paperback First Edition Signed by Author Mr Farrer's researches and fine-toothcombings have resulted in a very entertaining and, in some cases, surprising, collection of writings with a theme. That of literature's treasury of men who for reasons of one kind or another find it necessary to disguise themselves as females. As his scholarly introduction informs us, Peter Farrer's reading ranged over the centuries, from classical times to modern, until lack of space decided him to stop at the end of the nineteenth century. The wealth of material, which he hasn't been able to include, would provide at least another volume, but those he has quoted make a grand appetiser. Contents include extracts from books, as well as complete stories; and authors as diverse as Thomas Mallory, Daniel Defoe, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling, and the popular Anon, (to mention only a few) provide a miscellany which may defeat the browsing intent and keep the reader deeply immersed for far longer than originally planned. Which, as well we bookworms know, is always the true aim. In all, forty-two stories or extracts, three colour plates and many black and white illustrations, are packed into nearly four hundred pages. A feast for all.

New 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall Paperback First Edition Signed by Author An exquisite book on patterns of cross dressing from the nineteen twenties and thirties. As always with Peter Farrer's books, it has been meticulously researched and superbly crafted. The result is an outstanding and definitive work which is also an excellent and wonderfully enjoyable read. The book draws mainly upon letters, articles and stories published in London Life, a magazine which changed character in October 1941, and has obtained cult status for its earlier issues among devotees of cross dressing and other fads. Topics include masqueraders past and present, female impersonation, corsets for men, men's dress reform, the coming dominance of women, male maids, the discipline of girls' clothes for the unruly male and even the first "Sex-Change". Together with some illustrations from L.L. itself, there are photographs of exceptionally attractive ladies who are in fact actors of the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club. Begining with a comprehensive introduction and continuing with illuminating notes this book opens an exciting and enthralling Pandora's Box on cross dressing between the wars. Once again Peter Farrer has given us a historic glimpse of an enduring and for many, an enjoyable, genre.

New 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall Paperback First Edition Signed by Author The third title in the series of fascinating glimpses that Peter Farrer's researches have revealed on the subject of men cross-dressing as women, covering the years 1911 to 1915. Most of the 202 letters included were published in the newspapers New Photo Fun and New Fun, concluding with one from Illustrated Bits and the final six from Fun. They show the continuing interest in this subject, which was also covered in Men in Petticoats and Borrowed in Plumes.

New 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall Pamphlet First Edition Signed by Author A Selection of Letters from Victorian Newspapers and a fascinating piece of social history this small book reveals! These extracts are culled from long-defunct publications, such as The Family Doctor, Modern Society and Society; most of them from male readers extolling the virtues of tight lacing, boasting of their slim waists and the comfort they derive from the support provided. Many others go further, saying how much they enjoy wearing women's clothes and high heeled boots and shoes. The terms "cross-dressing" and "Transvestite" were not known at the time and the general attitude seems to have been one of mild surprise without any sort of condemnation. These ideas of dress were not apparently confined to this country; other letters tell of young male "ballerinas" in France and America who were greatly admired (by woman especially) and, in fact, were not only made much of but treated as darlings of society. The seventeen photographs of graceful young ladies - including Rev. H.D. Astley and the Hon. A.G.Yorke - date from the mid-1860s and amongst them may be found the famous (notorious?) Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park. Their arrest and eventual acquittal were a cause célèbre for Victorian England. They were involved in amateur theatricals, sometimes arranged for charitable purposes, which were extremely popular with the young men in Society, who organised the productions solely, it would appear, for the pleasure of playing the ladies' parts! Indeed, the photographs are, undoubtedly, taken from various theatrical endeavours. Mr. Farrer's researches have taken him to Museums and Libraries all over the country and more of the material he has discovered appears in "Borrowed Plumes".