Upstairs Girls: Prostitution in the American West

Was a gift! Recipient loved the stories, and pictures were a bonus!

That it was so clearly tolerated even touted is just amazing. After reading tons of books about the West, I wanted to read something about the trade itself, so common that a man like Wyatt Earp could hold down the job of a lawman and run a brothel on the side. Rutter's book is helpful, and I enjoyed the small bios of many of the West's most famous Madams.

These are mostly stories you've probably never heard before. I found them fascinating. And there were photos, too, which made it even better. Even if you think you know the stories of prostitutes and the wild west you might find some new information here. I personally found the life story of Madam Moustache (complete with photo -- really, she had a mustache) really great and way too short! Unfortunately a lot of the stories are short simply because either their lives were short or there simply was no written records to reference. But there was enough to make an easily read book. I enjoyed it.

I thought this would be more personal stories or more deeper into the girls' stories so I was disappointed there. I did, however, learn a lot of history and enjoyed the book in that aspect.

I wasn't sure about this book when I first started to read it...than I got.a.fee pages into it and it turned out better than I expected it to be.. if your interested in the history of the wild west or prostitution than this is ur book. If not.dont get it...it had allot of knowledge of the wild.bunch and some of the brothels and such that you.coild find in the west during the gold rush time.. I learned a few new things as well.. its an interesting read I must say just wasn't what I was looking for.. I red it anyways and enjoyed it..

Great book about the woman of the west. It's sad whT they had to do to survive life was hard for woman in those times.

I found this to be a fun, interesting, and informative book. It shows that life goes in cycles. Everything that was happening then happens today. Strongly recommended.

This book is very interesting and well written. Its easy to read and a book you can pick up and read in parts at your own rate of speed. Extremely interesting and gets you mind thinking of the things you don't see of the West in movies and TV. A very realistic look of a subject that has been glorified in current day and a reminder of of what life was like in the past not only in the West and USA but also in the rest of the world in the same time period. A good study of life from all angles. Highly recommend read.

Starts a bit dry but opens up to tell the story of the real Wild West and the characters who inhabited the towns and camps

Historical read! Not about sex, it's about women becoming slaves to men, and how the females were forced into prostitution. So good.

Informative and honest and full of great pictures. I bought as part of research for a play and found it full of wonderful stories. Seemed to strike a balance between the negative and positive elements of the lifestyle in the period.