A random collection of over 1910 books and audiobooks authored by or about my transgender, intersex sisters, and gender-nonconforming persons all over the world. I read some of them, and I was inspired by some of them. I met some of the authors and heroines, some of them are my best friends, and I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing some of them. If you know of any transgender biography that I have not covered yet, please let me know.
Full title: "Understanding Cross-dressing" by Virginia Prince.
According to IFGE, "This book has been published to serve two different purposes for two different groups of people. Not surprisingly the two groups are (1) those who are cross dressers, and (2) those who are not. The needs of these two groups are different; those who cross dress already know what it is like and the satisfactions they obtain from that behavior pattern, but in many cases they don't have much understanding of why they do it.
Moreover, great numbers of cross dressers think that they are the only ones in the world who indulge in such activities. Their needs therefore center around understanding themselves and becoming aware that there are vast numbers of other individuals who do exactly the same thing.
The non-cross dressers have a need to understand a behavior pattern exhibited by others. Wives, parents, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, judges, teachers and just friends of someone who has been found to be a cross dresser need to know more about this pattern. They need information in order to deal with their own feelings - if the cross dresser involved is someone in whom they have a personal interest, such as a child or a husband - or to know how to be of help to the individual if the relationship is impersonal."
1976,
English,
USA,
Virginia Prince,
Full title: "How to be a woman, though male" by Virginia Prince.
The best review of this book was presented in "Pioneers of Transgendering: The Life and Work of Virginia Prince" by Dave King, Department of Sociology, University of Liverpool, and Richard Ekins, Transgender Archive, University of Ulster at Coleraine Gendys Conference, so let me quote it.
"How to be a Woman though Male" immediately draws attention to the distinction between sex and gender which Prince underlines at various points in the book as well as in a dedicated chapter. The book is primarily a guide to changing gender for the femmiphile, and includes a wealth of information about women's clothing, make-up and so on, of thirty years ago. Some of this information is extremely detailed; there are, for example, five pages devoted to shoe styles, three to hosiery and one to gloves."
1971,
English,
Virginia Prince,
Full title: "The Transvestite and his Wife" by Virginia "Charles" Prince.
We can read on the cover of the book: "Virginia "Charles" Prince is an authority on the subject of transvestism. She has been invited to speak before many service organizations, medical classes and other interested groups, has appeared on several national radio and television broadcasts, and is a prolific writer on the subject of transvestism."
Dallas Denny wrote an interesting article about Virginia Prince - "Heteropocrisy: The Myth of the Heterosexual Male Crossdresser" where she addressed some of the ideas elaborated by Virginia Prince in the book: "Virginia, who is sometimes referred to jokingly by some (and devoutly by others) as The Godmother of Crossdressing, formulated a philosophy which has been carried to the four corners of the world by FPE and its successors, which include The Society for the Second Self (Tri-Ess) in the United States, the Seahorse Clubs of Australia, and the Beaumont Societies in Europe."
1967,
English,
Virginia Prince,
Full title: "From Man to Woman: The Transgender Journey of Virginia Prince" by Richard F. Docter.
This book "tells the life story, including the sexual and gender development, of a transgender pioneer who was the founder/editor of Transvestia Magazine and who helped to organize support groups for cross dressers throughout the world since 1960.
She invented the term "transgender" and has lived full-time as a woman since the age of 55 without transsexual surgery, which she opposes."
In the 100th issue of Transvestia, Virginia Prince included her biographical article: "l also recall buying my first pair of heels. As Charles I went downtown to Broadway which was definitely not the highest class district. I remember going into this little shop which was down a small flight of stairs below the street. I explained to the man that my aunt had been bedridden for sometime and was just now able to get around but that she wanted a new pair of shoes and had sent me to get some for her. Of course it just so happened that her feet and mine were the same size - fortunate coincidence.
2004,
English,
Richard F. Docter,
Virginia Prince,
Full title: "Virginia Prince: Pioneer of Transgendering" by Richard Ekins and Dave King.
"Virginia Prince: Pioneer of Transgendering documents the life and work of Virginia Prince, whose writings on transvestites and transsexuals influenced the thinking of an entire generation. This unique book gathers and updates her most important - and hard-to-find - articles that chronicle the development of her philosophy over a twenty-year period and provide insight into her role in the creation of a transgender community.
The book includes a photo essay by acclaimed photographer Mariette Pathy Allen, a portrait of Virginia at age 92 from Richard F. Docter, and a foreword by celebrated transgender activist, historian, and scholar Susan Stryker.
2006,
Dave King,
English,
Richard Ekins,
Virginia Prince,
