The book was published in 1983 and republished in 2012. Les Amies focuses on the transsexual community around the Place Blanche district of Paris in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The book established Christer Strömholm's reputation as one of the leading photographers of the twentieth century.
The 2012 edition of the book includes the original essays by Strömholm and publisher Johan Ehrenberg as well as newly commissioned texts by Jackie and Nana, two of the women who feature in many photographs in the book. The book concludes with a thirty-two-page notebook of unpublished letters, papers, and contact sheets."
