RDR LGBT History Reading List
I meant to post this earlier, but life happened, but at least it's before the end of pride month!
Notes:
Why are there so few books? Well, that's almost everything I could find. I researched two university libraries, my public library, and Amazon. People began writing about this subject in the 1990s. A lot of people are NOT receiving funding to write about these topics, so that's another reason. I'm sorry there aren't more accessible books, but this is likely all you'll find.
These books are almost all MLM because historians believe that they are more prevalent in the archives and society. Notice how there is only one book about lesbians and it only has about 30 pages that pertain to RDR. That's it. The "Re-dressing" book contains some lesbian scholarship, but it's next to none. It's very disappointing.
There are literally people who have written about how difficult it is to write about lesbians, but the fact that there is basically NOTHING really bothers me. I think some of it is sexism and some of it is laziness.
Love Stories: Sex between Men before Homosexuality by Jonathan Ned Katz
Amazon: Here
Archive: Here
I actually own this book so that’s a good sign right there. Unfortunately, I can’t find the book so I had to rely on the previews. It starts off with pretty early history with Abraham Lincoln and his alleged lover. I really like this author’s writing style. It’s professionally written, but doesn’t talk above the reader. I would say he’s very approachable. I love how many quotes and other primary sources he included like the plethora of pictures, portraits and related media. I found the book to be a quick read and I think it’s a good start for beginning history readers.Yes, the book does cover the West and the different love stories that pertain to that era, so yes, it will fit Vandermatthews and later Charthur or similar ships.
2. Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love 1850s-1950s by Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell
Amazon: Here.
Archive: Sorry, not uploaded here yet. Might have to sail the seven seas for this.
This is a newer book and newer books aren’t usually uploaded to archive.org yet. This is definitely a book I would get at the library, unless you like “coffee table books” and conversation pieces. The book itself is lovely from what I can tell and it’s obvious how passionate the authors are and the diligent work they did to produce the book. As a historian, I’ve only had a taste of how terribly difficult archival work. I’ve worked with archives for six years. It’s HARD work, especially having to find hidden histories like this. It’s a lot of luck. So the book itself is amazing in what it contains, but you wouldn’t know that by the preface. Skip it. It’s the most pretentious thing I’ve ever read. Of course, this will scratch the Vandermatthews itch and it does contain later history that would relate to John, Arthur, etc. But overall, definitely a book worth checking out at the library/or other archives.
3. Queer Cowboys: And Other Erotic Male Friendships in Nineteenth-Century American Literature by C. Packard.
Amazon: Here.
Archive: Here.
This book is difficult to review because the previews are so short. Just about 7 pages for one link and 12 for the other. I wasn’t able to check out the book either so my review is kind of worthless here. From what I can tell, this is a good book and that many people seem to enjoy it.From what I can tell, it covers a wide berth of history and the “West”. It seems to be one of the “Must reads” in the history field, but to be fair, we also don’t have many LGBT+ “Old West” books in the field. From what I read of the previews, they write in an easy fashion and I liked the pictures that were included in the GoogleBooks preview. The author also stresses the importance of including Native American, African American and Mexican voices. This is the first book that has been so blunt about inclusivity, so I consider that a big win. I’d say the book is worth checking out.
4. Re-Dressing America's Frontier Past by Peter G. Boag
Amazon: Here.
Archive: Here. Sadly, it needs a university/college/high school library connection.
This is a really good book. I included it because of Sadie Adler, but some could use it for Charles Chaterney. This is very inclusive for transgender people and nonbinary, but it also covers Cis women who feel that it is most convenient or enjoy dressing up as men. However, there is the element of the stereotypical “Who plays the man in the relationship” dynamic instead of talking about how these relationships can be a step towards equality. However, at the same time, the male identity was important to some people so it makes sense in a way in order to “legitimize” the identity for the person who is cross dressing or trans. It’s entirely possible that my idea of equality is just too new of a concept, though. (At least, in terms of white society.)
The book is extremely easy to follow and has so many primary sources. I loved reading so many of the quotes from the individuals themselves instead of just from those around them. There are also tons of pictures, ads, newspapers, and other ephemera. Highly recommend this book.
5. Frontier Comrades: From the Fur Trade to the Ford Car by Jim Wilke.
Amazon. Here.
No archive.
This book hasn’t been released yet, but I have high hopes for it, especially given the diversity of the case studies. This is one of the few books that seems to feature lesbians of different background, but I’m also intrigued by the differences in case studies featuring men.
6. Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America by Lilian Faderman
Amazon: Here.
Archive: Here.
I used this book for my LGBT history for Marvel list. I own this book. Lillian Fadermen is literally the premiere historian of lesbian history. Like, there may be only ONE other historian that rivals her. If you want lesbian history, especially inclusive to transgender women, this is where you go. Don’t let the age of the book fool you. This book is actually on two of my LGBT lists because of the span it covers. This book covers everything, I swear.
With all that said, her writing can be a bit dry. Some parts of the book were a bit of a slog, but she does use a lot of primary resources and that livens it up a bit. Her book’s later chapters definitely has diversity in it, especially covering Harlem.However, for Sadie and Abigail (and co) I would recommend chapter 1 for Boston Marriages, even though they focus more on Upper class women, and chapter 2 gives more of a view of “Everyday women” in this time period. Interestingly, they included sex workers.
jbbartram-illu
stormborns
jacobvanloon
germansingergirl
dailybridgerton
janainaart
tangentwithtanner
kaledo-art
