Early Female Impersonator Novel: Venus Castina: Famous Female Impersonators and Celestial and Human, 1956

[LGBTQ] Bulliet, C. J.. Venus Castina: Famous Female Impersonators and Celestial and Human. New York: Bonanza Books, 1956. Stated "Precise facsimile of the original Limited Edition published in 1928". Striking in-text illustrations from notable illustrator Alexander King. Octavo. 308 pages. Hardcover quarter red cloth and three-quarters black cloth. Illustrated red and black dust jacket with bold lettering. Venus Castina (Chaste Venus), is claimed to be an epithet of the Roman goddess Venus; she was associated with "the yearnings of feminine souls locked up in male bodies". Clarence Joseph Bulliet wrote his book about homosexuality and cross-dressing named (truncated) after this supposed epithet. In the book, he asserts the influence of "the effeminate" to many things. The dust jacket boasts that "[Mr Bulliet's] roster of famous gentlemen who have donned female attire stretches from ancient Greece to the present day, and includes degenerate emperors and noted warriors, gentle priests and renowned men of letters, heroes and statesmen, and even a few gods and demigods". The dust jacket is missing 3" x 1.5" of text on the upper left margin. Dust jacket's spine is missing 1" from upper margin, and is lightly faded. Clean and crisp pages, this book is in very good condition overall. (Inventory #: 19598)