Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography
New York: Paul S. Eriksson, Inc, 1967. First edition. Offset. 5 3⁄4 x 8 7/16 in. Perfect bound in cloth with dust jacket in mylar book cover. 332 pp. Signed and inscribed by the author. Minor shelf wear; near fine. Item #5810
Regarded as the first transgender celebrity in America, Christine Jorgensen thoroughly chronicles her life, beginning in childhood through her famed adult life. Jorgensen, born in the Bronx and drafted into World War II, traveled to Europe in the early 1950s to receive sex reassignment surgery, her transition chronicled on the front page of the New York Daily News.
Throughout the memoir, Jorgensen intermittently takes it upon herself to inform readers about thee medical and psychological reality of being a transgender person. Her highly publicized transition sparked new conversations about gender identity at a time in which such subjects were seldom discussed. Throughout the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, Jorgensen worked as an actress and nightclub entertainer, and gave speaking engagements around the country to speak about her experiences. With an introduction by sexologist Harry Benjamin.
The rare first edition of the autobiography of America’s first transgender celebrity.
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