1970s Psychiatric Literature on Cross-Dressing and Trans Identity

Harry Brierley

First Edition

[Crossdressing] [LGBTQ] Brierley, Harry. Transvestism: A Handbook with Case Studies for Psychologists, Psychiatrists and Counsellors. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1979. First edition. 259 pages. Bound in original printed glossy wraps. 8vo. A relatively early clinical text explicitly focused on cross-dressing and transvestism, published at a time when transgender and gender-nonconforming identities were still largely pathologized in psychiatric literature. Written by consultant clinical psychologist H. Brierley, the volume presents a structured case-based approach to understanding transvestism, drawing from real patient histories and integrating psychoanalytic, behavioral, and sociological frameworks.

The book is divided into ten chapters, beginning with foundational concepts of sex, gender identity, and gender role, followed by autobiographical testimonies and a survey of writings by individuals who identify as transvestites. Later chapters consider legal, medical, and social frameworks for addressing transvestism, including controversial and now-outdated treatments such as behavior modification. While shaped by the pathologizing discourse of the period, Brierley’s approach is notable for its inclusion of direct personal narratives and its insistence on a multidimensional understanding of gender that incorporates psychological development, cross-cultural perspectives (including reference to Margaret Mead’s anthropological studies), and legal concerns. The book thus occupies a transitional position in the clinical literature—an attempt to codify an emerging field that would later be redefined by the work of trans and gender-diverse authors and activists in the 1980s and 1990s. Very good condition overall. An important document in the evolving clinical and cultural recognition of trans identities, valuable for historical research in LGBTQ+ studies, the history of psychiatry, and gender theory.

Item #21778

Price: $225.00