From Publishers Weekly
One might expect an illustrated history of stripping to be superficial and salacious-or else politicized and academic. Glasscock aims, successfully, for middle ground in this breezy but detailed consideration of the art of "revealing, arousing, and amusing, and doing all of these on a stage (although not necessarily in that order)." Most theater historians identify the origins of striptease in 19th-century burlesque; while Glasscock doesn't dispute the connection, she finds influences in a host of other American theatrical forms, including vaudeville, Broadway and modern dance. Connecting Isadora Duncan with New Orleans stripper Blaze Starr-however circuitously-may seem like sacrilege to some, but Glasscock respectfully, and persuasively, argues that the public's reception of the nude female body has a lot to do with whether or not that body is positioned as art or entertainment. Duncan was able to get away with dancing in a state of undress, Glasscock says, because she applied "a veneer of intellectualism to her performance." Glasscock spends a long time establishing her history of striptease, and while her diligence is laudable, the result is that comparatively short shrift is given to striptease icons of the 1950s such as Tempest Storm, Blaze Star and Lili St. Cyr. That said, this is a compelling history, one that the author feels is still being written. Referring to a new breed of burlesque revivalists, Glasscock writes, "the increasing success of the New Burlesque suggests the possibility that the live sex acts of the 1970s and the lap dances of the 1980s and 1990s may only be remembered as a prelude to another era of classic striptease." 70 b&w and 74 color illustrations. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
Striptease is the history of unapologetic fun aimed not at the head, not at the heart or even the stomach, but south of all three. Beginning with the birth of the striptease in the mid-19th century and culminating with its garish heyday in the 1950s, this book charts the evolution of the infamous bump and grind, which is, at its simplest, a pretty girl in a pretty dress ... and then not. The only fully illustrated book available on the subject, Striptease tells the history of this provocative form of stagecraft from its birth in vaudeville and burlesque through the "take it all off" attitude for which the term "striptease" was coined. Along the way, the book highlights such performers as Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Maud Allen, Gypsy Rose Lee, Tempest Storm, and Blaze Starr. The witty and well-informed text is illustrated with an array of titillating images, including never-before-published ephemera and illicitly photographed performances in progress. Whether revealing ankles or breasts, playing peek-a-boo or going the full monty, Striptease pays tribute to the women who made a vocation of their sex appeal and shimmied their way into American culture.

About the Author
Jessica Glasscock received her M.A. in Visual Culture at New York University and has worked for the ACLU's Women's Rights and Reproductive Freedom Projects. She has published articles on Cindy Sherman, Rei Kawakubo, Vivienne Westwood, and the history of burlesque.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Striptease is the history of unapologetic fun aimed not at the head, not at the heart or even the stomach, but south of all three. Beginning with the birth of the striptease in the mid-19th century and culminating with its garish heyday in the 1950s, this book charts the evolution of the infamous bump and grind, which is, at its simplest, a pretty girl in a pretty dress ￯﾿ﾽ and then not.The only fully illustrated book available on the subject, Striptease tells the history of this provocative form of stagecraft from its birth in vaudeville and burlesque through the ￯﾿ﾽtake it all off￯﾿ﾽ attitude for which the term ￯﾿ﾽstriptease￯﾿ﾽ was coined. Along the way, the book highlights such performers as Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Maud Allen, Gypsy Rose Lee, Tempest Storm, and Blaze Starr. The witty and well-informed text is illustrated with an array of titillating images, including never-before-published ephemera and illicitly photographed performances in progress. Whether revealing ankles or breasts, playing peek-a-boo or going the full monty, Striptease pays tribute to the women who made a vocation of their sex appeal and shimmied their way into American culture.