Best Books about Burlesque

There’s nothing I love more than curling up with a good book, and burlesque is one of my favourite topics to read about. You can dive into the world of historic theatres with books by Gypsy Lee Rose (back in the day when huge burlesque theatres still existed!) or you can find inspiration in guides by the legends of today, like Dita von Teese and Jo Weldon.

Here are the burlesque books I return to, time and time again!

The G String Murders, Gypsy Rose Lee, 1941

Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? And when it’s written by a woman, there’s a great perspective on crime writing. Usually, the critics say the male gaze objectifies a murdered woman, but in true burlesque style, Gypsy Rose Lee turns objectification into a plot-driving theme.

Gypsy Rose Lee (1911 – 1970) is one of the burlesque icons; a queen of American burlesque. She was a performer, author, playwright and vedette, famous for her striptease act and emphasising the ‘tease’. She was known for her sharp wit and sense of humour on stage, and was one of the biggest stars at Minsky’s Burlesque.

Readers enter the working world of the "Old Opera" burlesque theatre on 42nd Street, New York City. It’s full of comics, burlesque actors, stage hands and dressing room drama. The drama gets more intense when the burlesque dancers start getting murdered with their own G Strings. Gypsy turns into a detective and uncovers clues (no spoilers). I love the scene when she’s in the dressing room alone sewing a new costume, and the internal dialogue she has as the time passes. It’s very accurate to the craftsmanship of burlesque today. Some things never change!

Mother Finds A Body, Gypsy Rose Lee, 1943

This is a sequel to The G String Murders, and Gypsy has the chance to settle down as she marries a comic from the show, Biff. They plan what sounds like a peaceful honeymoon in a caravan but Gypsy’s mother tags along, as do all of their friends, and some animals (a monkey, a guinea pig, some dogs). It’s all going smoothly until a body is found in their bathtub, then a few more. Gypsy’s mother is overprotective and takes some measures which are a bit of an overstep, such as setting the woods on fire.

Gypsy gets her friend Dimples a job at the local saloon, a shady establishment that pays $40 a week. I love her description of getting backstage, going through an alleyway, through a kitchen, down a rabbit warren, into a tiny dressing room. The way Gypsy describes burlesque performances is with the eye of an expert and gives true meaning to the phrase ‘paint a picture with words’. Dimples doesn’t do a full strip and just flashes one breast before she runs off stage. She also doesn’t wear tassels and adds pink makeup to her nipples. I loved reading this scene and getting a look at how performances used to be.

I also love the way Gypsy writes the tendencies and actors into everyday encouinters. When Biff reveals the murderer at the end of the book, she draws the reader's attention to his theatrical technique and talks about his 'script' and 'material'. When her mother is flirting with the Sheriff, she talks about her delivery, eye flutters and timing. The whole cast of characters natually draw on their acting skills so, even though this story isn't set in a theatre, you almost feel like it could be a theatre backdrop.

Burlesque and the Art of the Teese: Fetish and the Art of the Teese, Dita Von Teese, 2015

Dita Von Teese is the person I refer to when I have to explain what burlesque is, and she’s a source of inspiration for so many. Most of my friends in the industry will say they looked to her vintage glamour when they were teenagers, and she showed how beauty could be something other than what the beauty industry told you.

The "Queen of the New Burlesque" has written a few books, but this one is on the list because it's two-in-one. The front is ‘the art of the teese’ and is full of pin up styles, quotes, songs and stripteases. She goes through different eras and styles.

On the back, you find ‘the art of the fetish’, which she rather cheekily introduces. You'll see more beautiful photos, full of fetish, fantasy, desire and femme fatales. My favourite thing is how she makes clear the connection between burlesque and fetish: while one is about taking things off, the other is about keeping things on, for diffeent but parallel effects. She draws your attention to fetish objects - high heels, stockings, latex, leather - and how these have been adopted into modern fashion. She touches again on revealing / concealing the body, and the different principles of access that burlesque and fetish employ. Dita also references John Willie whose illustation of a woman in latex I have tattooed on my arm. Throughout, it’s an amazing look at modern American burlesque through the eyes of one of its legends, and it’s full of pictures that I have had to resist tearing out and putting on my wall.

The Burlesque Handbook, Jo Weldon, 2010

This book taught me how to use feather fans. Start with another object, like a book (handy for this topic) and learn where to position your hands. If you start with the big feathers, you’ll get into the habit of not holding them enough to cover you up. Then, your flashes have less impact.

Pearls of wisdom, and this book is full of them. Jo Weldon is the award-winning founder of the New York School of Burlesque so she knows what she’s talking about. There are little guides like how to make pasties or how to do a simple routine. It’s full of stories and quotes from dancers across the world, and advice on how to develop a persona, confidence and stage presence. It’s the essential manual I always look back on when I develop a new act and it’s equally full of amazing photos. I did actually tear one of these out and stick it to my wall.

The Vagabond, Colette, 1910

This gorgeous novel is a semi-autobiographical story about a divorced woman who becomes a cabaret performer to support herself - back in the day when divorce was social ruin. Set in 19th century Paris, we follow the character Renée Néré, who works in music halls. This book is quite enchanting and has your classic ‘do I choose love or my career’ dilemma. It’s full of poetry, love and self-empowerment (Renée means "reborn").

We get snippets of Renée Néré feeling anxious in her dressing room, in her small Parisian apartment and on stage, and throughout, she is characterised as a dancer with respect to her artistry. She has a dog. She has an admirer too, called Maxime, who she slowly falls for a little. But then she gets her big break and a great contract deal, and has to choose between success and a guy. I know what I would choose lol.

I’m going to steal the words of Guardian critic James Hopkin, whose article was headlined with ‘Colette has more punch than Proust’:

"Has the novel dated in the course of a century? Not at all. There's enough energy and inventiveness here to blow away any dusty hints of antiquarian charm. And for years I've been telling people that no one writes about relationships as perceptively as Colette."

Life as a Cabaret: A Modern Portrait, Mark Anthony (author), Veronika Marx (photographer), Reuben Kaye (foreword), 2024

I once spotted this book at a class at the Soho School of Burlesque, then my friend got me a copy for my birthday. I looked through it and I was delighted to see people I interact with in the industry included in it. Looking like glamorous people respected as artists.

This is a photobook so it’s one for when you’re tired of words. It goes from the principle of cabaret’s historic existence on the fringes (as the best things always are, that’s why gentrification happens) and spotlights the people who fall outside conventional society. It illustrates the variety of cabaret - its burlesque, boylesque, drag, clowning, comedy, acrobatics, sideshow, you name it - and all the places cabaret happens - theatres, bars, clubs, libraries, carparks.

It genuinely celebrates how cabaret is resistant and resistance, and all the wonderful ways it is ephemeral.

Also, you should always trust anything made by Reuben Kaye.

Behind the Burly Q: The Story of Burlesque in America, Leslie Zemeckis, 2013

Leslie Zemeckis is the one to Google if you’re looking into burlesque history. This prolific author has covered the history of burlesque and the stories of its performers, including Goddess of Love Incarnate: The Life of Stripteuse Lili St. Cyr and Feuding Fan Dancers: Faith Bacon, Sally Rand, and the Golden Age of the Showgirl.

In Behind the Burly Q, you’ll get a historic, non-fiction look at the artform of burlesque - something most people have heard of but few really know. This book features interviews with surviving performers, who talk all about life on the road, life on the stage, stigma, glamour, the hard work and the highlights. It’s all about burlesque life and I love reading this for a sense of the hustle, the toughness and the humour that pervades through it all. Burlesque performers are tough cookies!

Horrible Prettiness: Burlesque and American Culture (Cultural Studies of the United States), Robert C. Allen, 1991

Time to throw in some cultural studies, since burlesque is not really covered in academia. I know this, because I covered burlesque when I was in academia and there wasn’t much around in terms of critical and contextual studies. When my knees give out, I plan to become a professor and bring burlesque into theatre studies. I hate public speaking, but if I can strip on stage, surely I can give a lecture (?).

Enough about my retirement plans. Allen looks at burlesque through the lens of cultural studies and examines it as a phenomenon. He situates it in the context of American theatre and gender representation, showing how burlesque is an example of how entertainment facilitates transgressiveness. It’s a book I will return to when I am faced with judgement as it gives legitimacy to the artform in the language that the critics use.

Goodbye to Berlin, Christopher Isherwood, 1939

This was the book that inspired the musical Cabaret, and sometimes comes paired with Isherwood’s other book, Mr Norris Changes Trains (1935), together called The Berlin Novels.

This decadent novella is set in 1930s Berlin, right at the waning period of the Weimar Republic. Readers are shown the lives of people who will be threatened by the rise of the Nazis - a wealthy Jewish heiress, Natalia Landauer, a gay couple, Peter and Otto, and the self-indulgent nightclub singer Sally Bowles. This book is an entertaining read because the characters are so eccentric, but the anxiety about what is to come bubbles under the surface. The book is also in 6 parts, which makes it good to dip in and out of.

Isherwood actually lived in Berlin from 1929 - 1933, and gained a first-hand (albeit, outsider’s) view of the decline of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism. These books inspired the play I Am a Camera (1951; film 1955) which was then the musical Cabaret (1966; film 1972).

There are many books about burlesque and cabaret, but, considering its rich history, the diversity of styles, the diversity of performers and its internationalism, there really aren't as many as there could be!