When I'm Bad, I'm Better

About the Book

In a world of trendsetting film icons, few are more familiar than Mae West. Yet for all her public controversy, West is also a mystery. Marybeth Hamilton combines elements of biography, cultural analysis, and social history to unmask West and reveal her commercial savvy, willpower, and truly shocking theatrical transgressions.

About the Author

Marybeth Hamilton holds a Ph.D. in History from Princeton University and teaches American History at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Prologue
1 Tough Girl
2 "That Touch of Class"
3 Sex, The Drag, and the Comedy-Drama of Life
4 Sex on Trial: The Politics of "Legit"
5 A Little Bit Spicy: Diamond Lil
6 "I'm the Queen of the Bitches"
7 The Honor of White Womanhood
8 Mae West Mania
9 It Ain't No Sin
10 Mae West in Exile
11 The Queen of Camp
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index